LIVE: THE FLAMING LIPS – March 6, 2018

Venue: The Mill & Mine

City: Knoxville, TN

Date: March 6, 2018

Review and Photographs by: Rachel Craig (www.rachelcraigphotos.net)

Welcome to the most colorful and visually stunning show to hit Knoxville so far in 2018. I honestly find myself speechless when trying to describe what it was like. The show opened with CHAPPO, a fun alternative rock band that just released their brand new album called “DO IT.” They performed plenty of new songs and other hits like “Come Home” and “Hang On.” CHAPPO also used the massive disco ball and video board on stage, making them feel like a headliner.

The Flaming Lips kicked off their performance in spectacular fashion. Their set began with the always-epic “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” transitioning into “Race for the Prize” and an explosion of confetti, steam, and massive balloons that bounced throughout the stage and crowd. For “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1,” frontman Wayne Coyne performed in an obligatory massive inflatable pink robot, and then brought out balloons spelling out “FUCK YEAH KNOXVILLE” for “Fight Test.” To wrap up this very flashy introduction, Coyne used giant hands to shine lasers on the disco ball during the National Anthem. Other highlights of the show include Coyne riding a unicorn through the crowd while tossing handfuls of confetti and a human hamster ball (I honestly don’t know how Coyne was able to sing while being tossed around the crowd). The band performed all their biggest hits in a 15-song setlist, which honestly felt even longer because there was so much to see. Songs included “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power),” “There Should Be Unicorns,” “How??,” and a cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” They concluded with “A Spoonful Weighs a Ton,” chanting “love, love, love” over and over until it was time for their encore performance of “Do You Realize??” Overall, this show is probably best described as an acid trip where you don’t even need the drugs (but I’m sure if anyone was actually high at the show, they were losing their minds). Shows like this are proving that the Alternative music scene in Knoxville is thriving and the Mill & Mine is the perfect place to showcase acts like this. This is the first time The Flaming Lips have performed in Knoxville and I’m very sure this won’t be the last.

THE FLAMING LIPS LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries