The Flaming Lips at Festival Hall
Melbourne, 1 February 2025
It has taken me this long to see The Flaming Lips play live. Their 2002 album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots meant a lot to me at the time, as it did to my good buddy Rai. We were both in our 20s, going through some drama, and bonded over Yoshimi as well as a few other albums of the time.
In particular I recall the track It's Summertime single-handedly pulling me out of an extended funk and returning me to enjoyment of life. In the morning before the show I listened the album through and had one of those nice moments of reconnection with music I hadn't listened to for a long time.
The first set was Yoshimi start to finish complete with four enormous inflatable pink robots and various other fun things on stage and in the audience - a big mirrorball, balloons, ticker tape and a giant rainbow. Hearing a beloved album played live in full is a guaranteed treat. My highlights were probably One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21 and Are You A Hypnotist?
From the start Wayne Coyne was goading the audience to make as much noise as possible ("keep going keep going!") and constantly raising both fists in the air as though he'd just won a ribbon. Together with the lighting design and all of the big inflatable toys it was undoubtedly a fun night, but I kind of wish he would let the energy in the room follow its own course. If the music is good, and it was, the crowd will be loud and happy.
The second set was a mix of songs from other albums. From The Soft Bulletin they played Race for the Prize, Waiting for Superman (a standout) and A Spoonful Weighs a Ton. There was a temporal curiosity, Riding to Work in the Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now) from their Zaireeka boom box experiment album. I wonder what they thought they would be riding and if they were proved right.
Other songs were Christmas at the Zoo from Clouds Taste Metallic and The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power) from At War with the Mystics. The latter I believe was the most recent one they played.
I haven't listened to any of their albums released since Yoshimi. It's funny how that happens. These days live shows of local bands are my main form of music discovery, which means that I usually hear the music live first and then think about buying the music. Seeing international touring bands tends to be a step back into my music-listening past which is quite the opposite process.
The only other time I have been to Festival Hall was to see Megadeth about 10 years ago. I like it as a venue but it is a bit clapped out. Apparently bits of the ceiling fell on an audience the other night, and last night the ventilation was no match for a full house and a 30 degree summer day.
After a two song encore Wayne came out with a giant inflatable 'FUCK YEAH MELBOURNE' which was summarily destroyed in the audience.
