The Flaming Lips perform at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on April 6, 2022.
Before performing “Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear” early in The Flaming Lips’ April 6 set at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago, Wayne Coyne explained that if you scream loud enough for long enough you can change your brain. It will switch from feeling like something bad may be happening to feeling like you are experiencing some ecstasy.
“It only works if you’re screaming too,” he continued, encouraging everyone in the venue to get in on the collective high. “You will add to everyone’s ecstasy and your own.”
Fans took this mission to heart cheering as loud as they could at every opportunity. Even if they quieted down for a moment to listen to Coyne share his love of Chicago audiences – noting the band’s many sets at Riot Fest – or to talk about how someone managed to make a new batch of Quaaludes for Miley Cyrus, the exuberant frontman would quickly get things back on track yelling, “Keep screaming,” and the roar would return.
“I think it’s going well,” added multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd after one especially cacophonous outburst.
The Flaming Lips perform at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on April 6, 2022.
The Flaming Lips certainly demonstrated how you can get high on life – using confetti, mechanical birds, robots, rainbows, balloons and bubbles to add to the nightlong trip – and they also noted the effects of getting high via more traditional methods with performances of “At the Movies on Quaaludes” and “Mother I’ve Taken LSD,” the latter of which featured an upper stratosphere guitar solo from Drozd. Later, Coyne gave tips for fighting the insanity of the world with the old school Oh My Gawd!!! jam “Love Yer Brain.”
Many of the group’s hits and fan favorites appeared on the evening’s extended setlist which was longer than usual due to the last minute cancellation of the scheduled opener, Heartless Bastards. Coyne shared his love of the band at the top of the set before leading “My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion” and the most joyful song about death ever written, “Do You Realize??.” Fans – many dressed in costumes or brightly colored outfits – also danced along with radio-friendly singles like “Turn It On,” “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1” and “Race for the Prize.”
The Flaming Lips perform at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on April 6, 2022.
Throughout their over-30-year career, the Flaming Lips have provided an optimistic escape full of inspiration and wonder in the form of their live shows. Coyne noted how after everything everyone has been through with the pandemic and the current state of the world, the group will never again take lightly the fact that they are able to perform for the “coolest audiences ever in the f*cking universe.”
The feeling is certainly mutual as Coyne and company continue to be one of the coolest bands ever in the f*cking universe and beyond.
Check out photos from The Flaming Lips’ Chicago show below and click here to pick-up tickets to see them perform in a city near you. More information can be found at Flaminglips.com.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
