Photo credit: George Salisbury
Like a lot of things about the Big Gig, Summerfest’s relationship with local artists is the subject of some debate. But while complaints about the quantity of acts or how they’re compensated certainly have merit, there are a few signs that the festival is starting to take area performers more seriously. Flipping through this year’s schedule, the amount of Milwaukee musicians might not seem that different, but their placement is, since instead of being exiled to some sorry excuse for a side-stage or stuck in abysmal early afternoon timeslots, they’re now warming up for some of the fest’s most anticipated headliners. That’s a good thing on its own, but thankfully the local openers have also proved deservedly talented and thoughtfully booked, as with Saturday night’s pairing of The Fatty Acids and The Flaming Lips.
While The Fatty Acids had been running a humorous online campaign in hopes of supporting “Weird Al” Yankovic, Wayne Coyne and company are definitely a far more natural fit. The two groups share a similar DayGlo-spattered aesthetic, casually walking the line between pop accessibility and psychedelic weirdness, and the many Flaming Lips fans arriving early to stake out their seats clearly responded to that, packing in closer to the stage as soon as lead singer Josh Evert informed them they were allowed to do so. Festival crowds can be tough to win over, but the Fatties had little trouble keeping the audience entertained throughout their set, which in addition to highlights from their latest full-length, 2013’s top-notch Boléro, also included an offhand cover of “Amish Paradise,” just in case Al was in earshot.
Between bands the BMO Harris Pavilion filled up, but for a time there was little sign of The Flaming Lips. Before anyone could get too impatient however, Coyne emerged, announcing they’d just had a “computer blowup” but would be starting shortly. The technical difficulties probably account for the somewhat stilted show that followed, which suffered from some awkward, inter-song lulls, one of them further exacerbated by a malfunctioning inflatable butterfly. Whenever they actually made it into a tune though, be it “She Don’t Use Jelly,” “A Spoonful Weighs a Ton” or the night’s emotional closer “Do You Realize??” they were just as fantastic as usual. Seeing The Flaming Lips on an off night is preferable to seeing a lot of bands at their best, especially with The Fatty Acids are along for the ride.
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