(G) Flaming Lips @ Hollywood Bowl (July 23) Grade: A
I suspect Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne might have seen 1964 B-movie Santa Claus Conquers the Martians before setting off on the band’s At War With the Mystics tour, as tonight’s stage was bombarded by Santas on one side and Martians on the other—though neither side seemed particularly antagonistic. Known for their costumes, theatrics and Coyne’s overall kookiness, the Lips also passed out glow sticks, which fans waved in the air ... like they just didn’t care, threw large white balloons[1] and confetti in the air and had Coyne walking about in the plastic bubble he introduced at Coachella two years ago. That’s not to say any of these antics detracted from the show, which focused mainly on material from Mystics and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Set closer “Do You Realize” was touching without being overly sentimental (the topless dancer video in the background made sure of that) and for the encore, Black Sabbath cover “War Pigs” was political without being heavy-handed. The surreal elements of the night translated into something just a touch magical.
[1] Note on balloons: The first time I experienced balloons at a gig was the Polyphonic Spree at the El Rey three years ago. The band dropped them on the audience after the first song, and for the rest of the set, I could hear the background noise of balloons popping. Luckily, the Bowl crowd just tossed the balloons to the front, where they were collected and out of the way for the rest of the night. That could have been a disaster. I was pelted with glow sticks more than once though.