The Flaming Lips Stun Visually and Musically in Dallas | Dallas Observer
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The Flaming Lips Are Still Hot AF

Do you realize ... The Flaming Lips are one of the best live bands on the planet?
The Flamings Lips are stunning live.
The Flamings Lips are stunning live. Andrew Sherman
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"Some of you may be wondering what the fuck is going on!" That was a statement made early on in The Flaming Lips' Thursday night concert by singer Wayne Coyne.

Coyne was referring to the absolute eye-gasm visuals of lasers, gigantic stage props, mind-bending lights and, of course, confetti. Tons and tons of confetti. This has become a staple of Flaming Lips shows and, wow, does it make things more exciting.

Fair Park Music Hall wasn't an obvious choice for this spectacle but it turned out to be the perfect spot for the show. The comfortable seats and overall theater atmosphere fed into the feeling that this was a performance as opposed to a gig. 
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This tour is the 20-year anniversary of the release of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.
Andrew Sherman
This tour celebrates the 20-year anniversary of the release of Grammy-winning album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. The album is a diverse masterpiece of genres and subject matter, and it explored more keyboard and electronic sounds than the band's previous releases. Some have called it a conceptual album, but Coyne has pushed back on that assertion. Perhaps this explains why the album was played in its entirety, but not in order, or maybe Coyne just wanted to shake things up and keep them interesting.

The second set consisted of favorites from the Lips' other albums including "Flowers of Neptune" from the band's latest release, American Head, as well as a number of songs from The Soft Bulletin. The only cover of the night was the band's unique take on Madonna's "Borderline."
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The Flaming Lips put on an eye-gasm of a show.
Andrew Sherman
Coyne, who is the only remaining original member of the band, has a unique ability to become completely consumed by the songs during his performance — but ,then, between songs, he comes back down to Earth and has a running dialogue with the audience.

"Keep it up! Come on! Come on! Come on!" Coyne shouted on Thursday, "The screaming's gonna give me more energy!" The fans were delighted to follow Coyne's lead. If the audience really was the key to Coyne's high-energy performance then they deserve a giant fist bump for providing the fuel that kept the band going. (Most people knew exactly what was going on when it came to the crazy and intense visuals.)
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The Flaming Lips have been playing shows in Dallas since 1984.
Andrew Sherman
Coyne's presence was powerful and enthusiastic. He told the crowd about the time the band was trying to get its first gigs outside of Oklahoma City in 1984; Dallas was one of the few cities that would welcome the band because of the avant-garde nature of their shows. (Wayne asked if anyone remembered the Theater Gallery, which was met by screams from the older crowd.) It was obvious Dallas holds a special place for the Lips, and it felt as though that gave them something "extra" on this already extra show. Between the intense visuals and the lush, psychedelic sounds, The Flaming Lips are still one of the best live bands out there.
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Coyne "battles" the giant Pink Robots.
Andrew Sherman
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The giant balloons and confetti helps make the show an interactive one.
Andrew Sherman
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Singer Wayne Coyne having a blast at Fair Park Music Hall.
Andrew Sherman
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Psychedelic shenanigans ensue in a sea of confetti.
Andrew Sherman
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Multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd, along with singer Coyne, are the only consistent members of the band since 1991.
Andrew Sherman
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Derek Brown on guitar, keys and percussion.
Andrew Sherman
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Wayne Coyne is a highly engaging performer.
Andrew Sherman
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The Flaming Lips put on one of the most visually spectular shows out there.
Andrew Sherman
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