Culture
25 Jan 21

The Flaming Lips perform unique 'space bubble' concert in Oklahoma

Each show accommodated 100 bubbles, holding up to three people each, with the band inside their own capsules.

US rock band The Flaming Lips held a concert in Oklahoma City over the weekend, where the band played to an audience encapsulated in space bubbles.

Long used by frontman Wayne Coyne as a staple of the show, the frontman and the band were also bubbled for the performance.

Speaking ahead of the concerts, Coyne said they would be "safer than going to the grocery store".

Inside each bubble was a high frequency supplemental speaker - which helped prevent the sound being muffled - as well as a water bottle, a battery-operated fan, a towel and a "I gotta go pee/hot in here" sign.

If it got too hot, the bubble was refilled with cool air using a leaf blower, and fans who needed the bathroom were escorted by venue staff once they had put on a mask and stepped outside their cocoon.

At one point in the night, Coyne held up a set of massive balloons reading “Fuck You COVID-19.”

The band held a test run for the concerts in October after debuting the idea in a one-song performance for Stephen Colbert's US chat show last June.

Sunday’s performance was originally scheduled for December but postponed due to coronavirus concerns. Each bubble holds enough room for three people.

Friday's show saw the band play classics including 'Do You Realize', 'She Don't Use Jelly' and 'Race For The Prize' alongside tracks from last year's American Head album.

They also played a cover of Daniel Johnston's 'True Love Will Find You in the End' on what would have been the singer's 60th birthday.

The gigs were filmed by a professional crew, with cameraman Nathan Poppe documenting the process of putting the unique. show together via Twitter.

Revisit the Hot Press interview with Wayne Coyne from back in 2014 here.