April 18, 2010 in Ithaca, N.Y.
The Flaming Lips has been touring non-stop since November to deliver its neo-psychedelic sound worldwide; on April 18, the band left an unforgettable mark on Barton Hall in Ithaca, N.Y.
The mood of the concert was in place even before the show began, probably influenced by the thousands of smiling, drugged-out youth sporting body paint and sneaking smokes in the corner. The half dozen or so employees handing out laser pointers to all 4,800 attendees of the sold-out show probably helped as well.
When Lips front man Wayne Coyne made a brief announcement before the show warning concert-goers about the intense use of strobe lights and lasers that have caused individuals to pass out, the atmosphere in the room intensified. You know a concert is going to be wild and weird after an announcement like that - and it certainly was.
The show began with the band emerging from a neon woman's pulsating vagina on a giant video screen. Coyne was the last to emerge; he arrived in a giant inflatable ball, crawling on top of the crowd and waving to the sea of cheering fans. The rest of the concert was equally ridiculous and featured a continuous inundation of confetti and balloons. At one point, Coyne produced a mirror from off-stage, strapped it to his arm and commanded the crowd to shine its lasers on him, flooding the hall with red rays shooting in every direction.
In the midst of laser hands, confetti rain, balloons, what seemed to be the world's largest disco ball and two half-naked couples rolling around under the influence of some assortment of drugs, there was music. The 17-song set list largely featured tracks from the band's 2009 album Embryonic, but the Lips also satisfied demand to play older tunes including "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song," "In the Morning of the Magicians" and sing-along versions of "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" and "She Don't Use Jelly." The live renditions of the songs were faithful to the recordings but also amplified by the performance aspect.
The group ended its set with a double encore, performing Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse" and finally a heartfelt rendition of its own "Do You Realize??" Although many in the audience were either unfamiliar with the song or unable to control themselves after an evening of substance use, everyone managed to sing along through a final cyclone of confetti that defined an extraordinary evening.