Flaming Lips Concert Review by Adam Young

A perennial cult favorite who celebrate a quarter century of continuous rocking-out this year, the Flaming Lips headlined Captain Morgan’s Jam on the River at Festival Pier last Saturday, playing to a sold-out crowd. Although the logistics of being the last of six acts performing forced some concessions in their stage show (sorry Philly, no flying saucer), I feel it’s fair to say that no one in the audience walked away disappointed. Ever-charismatic frontman Wayne Coyne kicked off the show by making a circuit of the audience in a giant, inflatable plastic sphere, followed by the band’s traditional opener, “Race for the Prize.” The air was thick with confetti and streamers as the band powered on through a set that included mostly selections from their recent release, “At War With the Mystics” (“Pompeii am Gotterdammerung” was a particular favorite of mine), a bit of political discussion followed by a somber rendition of “Taps,” and a nudity-inspiring cover of “The Song Remains the Same” by Led Zeppelin. A dozen Iron Men and as many pink Easter Bunnies danced onstage, and all the while a dizzying array of strobing lights provided just the right amount of science-fiction ambience.

Given their counter-culture tendencies, it may seem strange that the last two times the band has appeared in Philadelphia, they’ve done so under the aegis of a promotional event by a large liquor company (2006 saw them headlining the “SoCo Music Experience”), but few bands walk the line between iconic and iconoclast with the balletic ease of the Lips. While trying (unsuccessfully) to sleep through the night on a plastic chair in an Irish airport two years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to hear their “It Overtakes Me” featured prominently in what turned out to be a Beck’s commercial. Since then, their songs have been used in several other advertisements, notably the song “W.A.N.D.” in a Dell spot. They’re even turning “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” into a Broadway musical, to be scored by Mr. Coyne. Nevertheless, the Flaming Lips continue to write songs about nontraditional thinking, the power of ideas and individuality, and generally sticking it to the man. The irony seems apparent, but as a fan I find it difficult to feel its sting – mostly, I’m just glad that people who otherwise might never have the chance are hearing one of my favorite bands.

The show wrapped with 90s hit “She Don’t Use Jelly,” and encored with “Do You Realize??” to great fanfare and what I can describe only as a shared moment of sublime happiness. After several minutes of intense cheering, the crowd trickled out slowly, enjoying the afterglow as we strolled without haste down the riverfront. The night was capped by the pleasant post-show busking of a fellow named Greg, who goes by Audible Eye, performing some covers in a sort of one-man-band style that featured acoustic guitar and what looked like very difficult all-foot percussion. We hit a few bars and went to sleep happy, and I was still humming “Do You Realize” in the morning.