Over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, The Flaming Lips have been experimenting with the concept of “space bubble” concerts.
The space bubble has been a staple feature of Oklahoma psych-rock heroes live show for years now. In the pre-pandemic days, frontman Wayne Coyne would obscure himself in the inflatable bubble and roll over the crowd.
Naturally, the band saw the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to explore the limitations of the “space bubble”, and have now, successfully, cracked off their first performance in which the band and audience were fully encased in the social distance-abiding bubbles.
On January 22nd, the band took to beloved Oklahoma City venue Criterion. For a live extravaganza that saw The Flaming Lips devotees indulge in an evening of live music from the comfort of 100 “space bubbles”, of which could fit up to three people.
By all reports, the show was a roaring success. At one point during the evening, Wayne Coyne hoisted up a balloon installation reading “Fuck You COVID-19.”
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The Flaming Lips first began experimenting with larger-scale space bubble productions on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert back in September last year.
Then, in October, they tested the bubble crowd waters with a music video shoot for their American Head tracks ‘Brother Eye’ and ‘Assassins Of Youth.’
“I mean, it seems absurd, but we at first were just doing it as not a joke, but just as a kind of funny thing, and now it’s becoming kind of serious and real,” Wayne Coyne explained of the concept adding, “I’m not suggesting the whole world should do it this way. I’m just saying the Flaming Lips can try it this way.”
Check out a highlight reel of last nights show below.
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