Live: The Flaming Lips - New Years Eve

The Flaming Lips – New Year's Eve 2006

Every year we obsess over what to do for New Year's Eve, and for most of us, these plans never come to fruition…or simply end up feeling lackluster.  For those of us who purchased tickets to see the Flaming Lips in downtown LA, 2005/2006 was no exception.  The show was rained out.  Luckily, the Lips returned this year and were accompanied by Cat Power and Gnarls Barkley.  Let's just say the boys from Oklahoma didn't disappoint.  There was confetti, there were balloons and (as always, it seems) there was Wayne in a bubble. 

The night kicked off with Cat Power jamming through a short (but sweet) set mostly featuring songs from her 2006 album, "The Greatest."  Unfortunately the set was so short, most people missed it.  As the crowd trickled into the USC Galen Center, the lights went out, and with the help of the theme from 2001: Space Odyssey, Gnarls Barkley took the stage.  Donning space suits complete with fishbowl like helmets, Cee-Lo and Dangermouse mugged for the crowd.  While a big fan of St. Elsewhere, I gotta tell ya, the live show just doesn't translate.  Considering that most of the tunes involve beats from Dangermouse with Cee-Lo singing over it makes it hard to create an exciting visual.  However, the duo did entertain with a fun (but incomplete) version of "Space Oddity."  All in all, most of us were simply counting the minutes until the main act.  And that's when the aliens landed.

A UFO, seemingly made entirely of flashing lights, descended upon the stage as the crowd watched cheering it on.  From the top of the ship, a large bubble began to inflate with what appeared to be a man standing inside.  It was no man after all…it was the martian himself, Wayne Coyne.  Fists pumping upward, Wayne moved the bubble slowly downward off the UFO, and into the crowd.  He pushed his way to the back of the audience and laughed in satisfaction.

Many who've attended a Lips show can basically describe to you what will take place.  There are a few updates, some alterations, and a slightly different set list…but for the most part, it's a consistent experience.  That being said, this consistent experience far exceeds what many other bands are capable of delivering to their fans.  Singing along to songs isn't suggested, it's practically required.  The crowd is showered with balloons to the point that the stage is barely visible, and then covered with confetti.   New Year's Eve was no different in that sense, but the energy level was through the roof.  The banter was minimal, but included a few Bush bashings, some chuckles, and a very mangled version of "Auld Lang Syne."  I felt an overwhelming sense of joy in ending 2006 and beginning 2007 with a bang, as I suspect many others in attendance felt too.  So, with a job well done, the Flaming Lips climbed back into their spaceship and flew off.          

The Setlist:

The WAND
Bohemian Rhapsody
Suddenly Everything Has Changed
Auld Lang Syne (for about thirty seconds)
Race For The Prize
Wonderful World with Gnarls Barkley and Cat Power
Yoshimi Pt. 1 w/ Sing Along
Yoshimi Pt. 2
Vein Of Stars w/extended Jam
Free Radicals
Do You Realize??
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Spoonful Weighs A Ton