27th July 2010

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The Flaming Lips, Oneida at Central Park Summerstage

Y’know, festival crowds suck. When Oneida opened up the show last night, dropping all sorts of free-jazz, ambient drones, and electronic squalls, building and building in intensity throughout their 40-minute set, it seemed like I was the only person in attendance who even knew a band was playing. The constant stream of people coming and going, excited to see the psychedelic version of Radiohead perform this sold out show, was incredibly distracting. And I guess you can’t blame them for not knowing who Oneida was, since, as far as I could tell, nobody told anyone that they’d be performing. I was still excited though, because they fucking rule, and they ruled last night. The drummer in particular was exceptionally gnarly; if you get the chance to catch these guys, you should do it. The best part may have been the song introduction which went “this song’s called ‘The River.’ It rules!” It did (obviously).

For someone who has never cared that much about the Flaming Lips, this was kind of a strange experience. I think I sort of knew they were into making things really warm and fuzzy for stoners, but I guess I didn’t know the extent to which they would go. From mass amounts of confetti and streamer guns to the lead singer’s crowd-zorbing, the whole show seemed to be about sweet buzz. Which is fine, especially since that buzz included about a thousand psychedelic naked ladies, projected on their enormous screen. The part that was kind of a bummer for me was that the band hit the stage after walking out of a gigantic vagina, but didn’t leave via the same route. Come on guys, it’s called consistency.

The music itself was good, but you probably already have formed your own opinions of the band. I thought it was kind of a bummer that they ended two songs in a row with sort of folk-acoustic reprise verses. I mean, one is kind of hacky, but sure, it can work. But twice in a row is kind of pushing it. But I guess that’s a big part of the Flaming Lips vibe; they’re a feelings-y group.

I guess my main issue with the show was really that I wasn’t stoned. And that’s my fault, really. The whole place smelled like a Melvins concert; I could’ve asked anyone for a hit. But even sober, it’s still a good time. I just don’t know if it had the sustain a straight mind requires…

P.S. There were a lot of balloon props used at this show. What do you call those guys who like to rub their penes on balloons? Whatever, Wayne Coyne is one of them.

Tagged: oneidathe flaming lipsdude looked like anthony keidis with a day-glo flyswatter