The Flaming Lips Light Up House of Blues Anaheim
Words & photos by Greg Poblete
March 7, 2023 — As far as beloved acts go, The Flaming Lips have consistently maintained their streak of putting on one of the most colorful and exuberant live shows throughout their 40-year span as a band. With a deep discography of over 15 studio albums including monumental releases such as The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, their current American Head Tour feels like a celebratory return to the stage for frontman Wayne Coyne and company, pulling out all the stops to make up for all the time lost during the pandemic. Supporting their 2020 release, American Head, this tour brings forth every aspect The Flaming Lips are known for but cranked up to eleven: confetti cannons, vibrant lighting, inflatable objects, and of course, brilliant and banging indie rock tunes.
The show took place on a Tuesday night at the House of Blues located on the second floor of the Anaheim Garden Walk in between an AMC theater and Johnny Rockets with Disneyland right down the street. There’s something special about going to a show where you can bump into a crowd of people just leaving the four o’clock showing of Cocaine Bear while you stand in line to get into the venue next door, side by side with parents wearing every color of the rainbow with their children they dragged to the show contrastingly dressed in head-to-toe black. Despite the majority of the demographic being equivalent but not restricted to that of a dad in their mid-40s wearing a blazer over a band t-shirt, this concert ruled.
The preshow vibes were set by the in-house music including the likes of Hot Chip, The Rolling Stones, and Big Thief. The stage setup included two drum sets, a couple of keyboards, and an eclectic assortment of guitars including a 12-string, all placed in front of a barricade of screens taking up half the stage. The patiently waiting crowd was rather chill and respectful, with the famous “Unity of Diversity” religious symbols hanging atop the stage as in every House of Blues venue. The closer it got to stage time, an ominous voice began counting down from three minutes until the band began to walk out on stage.
There was no opening act, so The Lips had an extended set filled to the brim with heavy hitters like “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell,” “She Don’t Use Jelly,” and “Do You Realize???” They started with “Sagittarius Silver Announcement” with Wayne performing inside a plastic bubble, bouncing up and down with excitement. The band brought the funky and droning music they have mastered, blaring from the speakers and putting everyone into a dreamlike trance. Even at the top of the set, confetti started blasting out of cannons from both sides of the stage. This was not the only instance during the 2-hour set where a confetti tornado hurled throughout the audience. In fact, two days later, I’m still finding bits of silver confetti stuck within the crevices of my curly hair.
There were plenty of musical highlights such as “Waitin’ for a Superman” from The Soft Bulletin and a slow-tempo cover of Madonna’s “Borderline.” Without all of the antics and flashy props, The Flaming Lips are undeniably a talented and tight bunch of players that can bring the psychedelic and crisp instrumentals from the recording studio to life. Wayne’s vocals, although drowning in reverb and slightly incomprehensible at times, still cuts through the void directly to the soul of every person in the room.
In all honesty, the real reason anyone goes to a Lips show is the expectation to see some crazy antics. And from scoping out at least two unicorn costumes within the crowd, people were ready to get freaky. Respectfully, of course. Just to name a few of the spectacles at the show, there was an inflatable rainbow during “Do You Realize???,” an inflatable pink robot for “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt.1,” the two drummers wore long green wigs, Wayne wore a Wonder Woman Snuggie for a few songs, there were bubbles, lasers, so much confetti, and a string of lettered balloons spelling out “Fuck Yeah Anaheim” for the finale. To summarize the show, it was overstimulation at its finest. And with the encouraging “Drugs Help” beanie being sold at the merch booth encouraging individuals to partake in certain substances, a Lips show is definitely the place you want to be if you are looking to visit another world.
As cool as The Flaming Lips are, they are not afraid to be humble as Wayne communicated more than a handful of times throughout the set his immense appreciation and love for the audience attending the show. The band seemed grateful to still be able to travel around the world and play their little songs, even if they were performing at a venue less than half a mile away from the Happiest Place on Earth. A Lips show is a truly unique and communal experience that makes every person in the audience feel like they are part of the show. With the concluding sentiment of love being the “greatest drug,” The Flaming Lips continue to demonstrate why they are one of the most fun bands to see live. A huge shoutout to whoever has to clean up all that mess after.
Although the American Head Tour is winding down, The Flaming Lips have a select few tour dates in the US and UK starting late April where they will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by playing the album in full. To check out the dates and more information, visit The Flaming Lips website.
