She uses tangerines....

Flaming Lips last night at Malkin Bowl. Thankfully the rain stopped by the time opener Black Moth Super Rainbow played (and cudos to them - particularly for the disturbing use of Richard Simmons "Sweating to the Oldies" videos), and in the end, I am glad that it was moved from the Orpheum. We staked out our usual spot near the side of the stage, squished into a crazy happy squirmy crowd. And what a lot to be happy about.

Before I go further, let me admit that I have a long standing, monumental crush on Wayne Coyne. If I had to run off with a rock star, he'd be at the top of the list. I promise that hasn't skewed my review. Really...

So - the night started out with Wayne climbing inside his inflatable space bubble and rolling across the audience, assisted during the inflation by 8 people in santa suits, 8 girls in alien outfits/masks, and a slew of roadies in padded super hero outfits. The only disappointment of the night is that he didn't roll over me - for a split second, it looked like that just might happen, and I could die a happy woman. Ahhh, so close....

It wasn't a show, it was an all consuming event. Streamers and confetti, giant balloons, smoke megaphones, mechanical doves, a "head camera" attached to Wayne's mic that projected his face onto the big screen behind - it was never ending creativity. And never ending fun. I loved it. And so did the rest of the audience. You couldn't not get wrapped up in it.

So, if you didn't go, I feel for you. It isn't often that a spectacle like this comes to our fair city. Judging by how packed the venue was, there were lots that knew this was something not to be missed.

And when I got home, I discovered my rain coat hood also works well to catch yellow confetti...maybe I'll toss it in the air later and relive the evening for the cats. The only question is where to find an inflatable space bubble...



Concert photos by g.mcmullin