Fuck Yeah, Charlotte! The Flaming Lips Bring The Party To The Queen City
Band Brings Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots To Life at the Fillmore
Robots, Rainbow, Confetti, and Balloons! Yes, you get all that and a whole lot more when The Flaming Lips come to town. Yesterday the experimental, psychedelic rockers performed in front of a sold-out crowd at the Fillmore Charlotte, and to say it was just a concert would be a grave injustice. In fact, it could more accurately be described as an adventure in music, an event by which all other events shall be judged, and definitely something you will want to experience at least once if not many, many times in your lifetime.
The crowd was lined up waiting for their chance to “crash the barricade” as I arrived at the venue, some decked out in crazy outfits with glitter galore. I even saw someone with a Devo-style hat and someone with an animal costume complete with a tail. Everyone was pumped up and ready for a party like no other.
There was no opening act as The Flaming Lips were playing two sets. The first would be a full album. Can you guess which one? Hint: Giant, pink, robots. After playing Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in its entirety, there would be a brief intermission followed by a second half which included an additional eight songs plus the encore.
The band is led by vocalist Wayne Coyne who serves as the ringleader of this wacky, wild, and wonderful show. As the lights dimmed, the band made their way out onto the stage. Before starting the show, Wayne took a moment to explain to the crowd in front that their view would be temporarily blocked at times by the giant, inflatable, pink robots that were situated in the crowd on each side of the barricade. The crowd cheered as he assured them that it would all be worth it.
What followed, was a musical experience of epic proportions. The band sounded fantastic and Coyne’s vocals were on point. But really, to get the full effect of the show, you really had to immerse yourself in the moment. Just let go and soak it all in. The crowd was on fire, having the time of their lives as confetti rained down upon us at various intervals. And when I say rained down on us, I mean there was confetti-like you have never seen before. In fact, when I was in the photo pit, I saw the four giant-sized confetti cannons, two on each side of the stage powered by six, yes count them six gas cylinders. Crazy! And it wasn’t just confetti, Coyne had a confetti stick that he pointed out at the audience further blasting us and it was sheer madness in the best possible way.
Through it all, Coyne didn’t chat too much but instead, let the power of the music hold the moment. He did make a remark early on about those who have never seen The Flaming Lips before joking that you’re probably wondering what the f*ck is going on.
Other highlights of the evening included a giant inflatable rainbow arch, a larger-than-life disco mirrored ball, and more confetti (is that even possible? Yes, yes it is.) not to mention a balloon drop and their famous “fuck yeah” ballons that they bring out in each city as Wayne paraded the fuck yeah Charlotte balloon around the stage.
If you have never seen The Flaming Lips before, run, don’t walk to your local box office, and snag some tickets. Ok, I know, I just dated myself badly. How’s this? Jump on your smartphone and buy some tickets to a show. I guarantee you will have one of the best nights of your life. There really is nothing else that comes close to the experience we all had last night. Go check it out for yourself.
Click Here for Tickets and Tour Information!
Click Here for the Full Gallery of the Evening!
If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.
