Flaming Lips Burn Bridges, Beck Rebuilds
By Amy McDaniel
A&F Goddess

Following the Flaming Lips opening act, Beck greeted his audience, “I can see you still have confetti in your eyes, and it’s hard to get out.” Most literally, Beck referred to the confetti-filled balloons that circulated around the crowd, periodically seized and popped by an overzealous fan. But certainly the comment also pointed at the stark difference between the two performances.

Walking into Big Bridges before the show started, eager fans first saw on stage three disco balls the size of elephant heads. Isabel Daniels ’04 mused, “It looks like a Japanimation, bubblegum pop, Josie and the Pussycats kind of scene.” For Emily George ‘04, the elaborate scene promised that “fun’s going to come at your head.

Even more mysteriously, a man in a fuzzy pink catsuit milled around the stage. Later revealed to be the Flaming Lips drummer, the cat-man represented a larger brood of animals that filled the stage during the set.

And what a set, indeed. More performance art than musical concert, the show featured a video screen with a panoply of images themed for each song, strobe lights, a fog machine and the aforementioned disco balls and balloons.

The ceiling of Big Bridges took on a new life as the flashlights waved around by the roadies cum make-believe characters illuminated the mythological scenes.

Flaming Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne encapsulated the goal of this sensory explosion: “It would be awful if you came to a special show and nothing happened except you saw a show.”

This concert, he explained, was a preview or dress rehearsal of the upcoming Beck/ Flaming Lips show. Daniels embraced the fanfare, remarking, “I feel like I’m in a wonderland!”

Previously unfamiliar with the music of the Flaming Lips, I remain so after watching their concert. Video images of Conan O’Brian, half-naked dancers, TeleTubbies, starry-eyed boy healers in a field and a marching band served to distract from rather than enhance the experience of live music.

I also watched the dance moves of a groupie dressed as a unicorn on the left of the stage. Occasionally, my attention turned to Coyne if he was swinging a lit ball on a string or blew blue smoke out of a bugle.

After a set short on songs, the circus came to a close. Noah’s Ark evacuated the stage, and the audience clutched their seats in anticipation of the man they paid to see.

Since Beck organized and designed the show after asking the Flaming Lips to be his touring band, would there be more bells and whistles?

In the late summer, I saw Beck’s tour for Sea Change, his newest album, at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. At this show, Beck had no band. He only played songs from his two most low-key albums, the new one and Mutations. At times he began playing his other hits, like “Loser” or “Where It’s At,” but he tired of them after a few bars.

His set on Monday started in the same vein. Just like in Atlanta, Beck said at the beginning, “We can do anything right now.” And again, the audience immediately began yelling requests for “Deborah,” the hit from Midnight Vultures. Beck responded by playing “Cold Brains,” the lead song from Mutations and a Hank Williams cover, “When That Lonesome Whistle Blows.”

This time, though, there were no false starts. After four solos, light shone through the black curtain at mid-stage to reveal the Flaming Lips poised to rock out. The audience, previously unresponsive to Beck’s performance, energized itself again and stood for a rendition of “Odelay.” As the curtain raised, Beck sang the rhythmic, sexy “Paper Tiger” from the new album.

The video screen descended again, but during Beck’s song, the images became quiet, simple and focused.

Beck admitted, “I’ve dispensed with spectacle because you’ve already gotten that.” Again, his comment defied simple interpretation.

While referring to the difference between the opening and headline acts, the artist clearly also indicated that his sample-heavy, polished studio days may be coming to a close.

Beck’s pared down compositions could succeed live with the right location and the right crowd. Slow, lyrically rich tunes like “We Live Again” — actually a satisfying song to dance to — did not find a receptive audience at Big Bridges.

As soon as the band played a half-note, everyone sat down and began to talk to friends. They stood up again for old favorites like “Pay No Mind” and “New Pollution,” but the energy could not sustain.

Caving in during the encore, Beck played a rocking version of “Where Its At.” The remnants of the crowd finally perked up.

After seeing both sides of this diametric opposition, I remain a purist. The live music experience should center on music performed live, with audience participation and requests at a bare minimum.

Really good music can inspire excitement — even enough to get people on their feet — if the artist gets a little bit of the audience’s faith. Listen. Beck will rock you from the inside out.