Photo Credit: Allen Halas
The Flaming Lips are known for loud, vibrant performances, and have exhibited that several times on the Summerfest stage in recent years. In a time slot originally planned for The Pixies before they ultimately cancelled their 2021 tour dates, Wayne Coyne and crew stepped up on short notice, but in a way that still respected the challenges of the pandemic.
The night had a bit of an awkward start, as the Generac ad that plays before every headlining set at the Generac Power Stage got the crowd to rise onto the bleachers. It also revealed Wayne Coyne on stage, testing his microphone. That led to a quick monologue explaining that the band would be out shortly. When they did come out to a proper entrance, Coyne noted that they are from Oklahoma City, which is currently experiencing a surge in Coronavirus cases. Out of caution, the band would not involve some of the balloons and stage antics that have become staples of their set. Coyne would also play much of the show inside his trademark bubble, with the band behind plexiglass, many of them masked up. While it was intended as a disclaimer, it also put a bit of a damper on the overall explosiveness of the show.
The night opened on a mellow note, with “At The Movies on Quaaludes” from their most recent album, American Head, and “All We Have Is Now,” a song that has taken on new meaning within the last year. Coyne was eager to hear reactions from the crowd, and motioned throughout the night that the fans needed to keep screaming while inside his bubble. He would, however, leave the capsule for a short time, operating a giant inflatable robot on “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1” and firing confetti cannons during “Flowers Of Neptune 6.” Those moments emphasized the importance of personality in a live performance. There’s an unspoken level of connection that happens between a frontman like Coyne and the crowd, and that lacked to some extent Saturday.
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Photo Credit: Allen Halas
From a sonic standpoint, however, The Flaming Lips haven’t diminished in the slightest. There was a bit of a surprise midway through the set, when breakout single “She Don’t Use Jelly” appeared much earlier than expected. The warmth of the crowd singing the chorus back to the band washed over the Generac Power Stage on an otherwise chilly night along the lakefront. The song’s placement in the set also was an early indicator that things were wrapping up fairly quickly. Ten songs in, Coyne announced that the band only had a few songs left, before easing into “Mother I’ve Taken LSD.” The set couldn’t close without “The W.A.N.D.” and an encore performance of “Do You Realize?,” the former being the biggest spark of energy that the band showed on Saturday. Even the band’s biggest hits, while sounding strong, lacked just a little bit of something special, but it made for a mellow ending to three weekends full of music.
It was paramount to remember on Saturday that The Flaming Lips were a late replacement on the Summerfest lineup. In total, the band played for just over an hour, and delivered on many of the things that make them an enjoyable live act. With that in mind, a slightly reduced version of their typical show was still a solid outing. As Wayne Coyne noted in his pre-show address, The Flaming Lips would be back to put on a great show in the future, and Saturday night left no indicator that their eventual return wouldn’t provide that.
