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The Flaming Lips like to set up their own gear. Each member lugged out their own instruments for sound check before their show Friday at Webster Hall. A lot of their equipment is a matching work-zone orange and has been souped-up for their purposes. There was a double-neck guitar with an iPod mounted on its base that had cords coming and going but did not seem to serve any critical purpose to the music. There was a keyboard on a hydraulic stand that was constantly being repositioned. Wayne had an acoustic guitar that was hollow in the back, exposing a white insulation lining its insides. Whether The Flaming Lips like to pitch in with their roadie work because they are extremely nice guys or they are extremely particular, I could not tell you. But after everything was in place, they left the stage for 15 minutes to ensure a grand entrance.

A Flaming Lips concert is just as much a visual experience as it is aural. The show started with a monologue projected in giant pink and yellow letters proclaiming how much fun we were about to have. "Race for the Prize" begins, then giant balloons downpour from the ceiling and are kept aloft by volleys from the crowd. These were the kind of balloons that when filled with helium, tied to a string, and given to a small child with a good grip, the kid would float off into oblivion. These orbs were everywhere and so was the confetti, some of which ended up in my mouth. Slowly the population of balloons dwindled as the band popped them on a spike attached to the neck of Wayne's guitar. Still, this did not mean that the crowd could slack off, when Wayne felt like the energy had slipped a notch he would say "Come on. Come on guys. This is your chance." In between one song he touched on his abhorrence for Bush, the injustice of trying to control abortion, and his approval of pot smoking at the show. Put simply, people have become "too tolerant," which has come full circle to a type of oppression. It all made perfect sense at the time. Now, I have not even mentioned the pack of costumed dancers flanking the band. These dancers were not as otherworldly as the furry creatures from last time but more like bad Halloween costumes of bearded toga-wearers, aliens, and santas. The giant projection screen that spliced music videos, lyrics, and weird footage compounded the over stimulation. In the encore they covered "War Pigs" juxtaposed with images of death, the war in Iraq, and a giant oculus while flashing portraits of Bush, Cheney, and Powell. The band played a few songs from the new album, which translated well live, and lots of people already knew the lyrics.

This was my first Flaming Lips concert and it was very surreal. The only real complaint I heard from friends was that they are still using the same antics—the balloons, the confetti, the nun puppet—that they have for years. I will agree that when you go to see The Flaming Lips you sort of know what to expect, but at the show you realize you could never again replicate that crazy moment. Maybe next time won’t be as grand but “All we have is….” You know the tune.

Set list:
Race For The Prize / Bohemian Rhapsody / Free Radicals / Yoshimi Battle The Pink Robots, Pt. 1 / Cow Jam / Yoshimi Battle The Pink Robots, Pt. 2 / The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song / The Gash / The W.A.N.D. / She Don't Use Jelly / Do You Realize?? // Love Yer Brain / War Pigs

Jason PSNYC, Stereogum, and BrooklynVegan were also there.

More pics after the jump.