Rich writes me:
I caught The Flaming Lips Saturday, Dec 6th at Yahoo’s annual holiday party. Yes, when we have a good a year as Yahoo, you get to hire the Lips to play your corporate functions.
In short – they’re great. As someone who has really liked their recent studio stuff (especially Yoshimi), their live performance thoroughly convinced me to go back and check out the rest of their catalog. They played mostly their own stuff, as if blissfully unaware that perhaps not each of the 4,000 partygoers would know obscure cuts from The Soft Bulletin. But they did nod to broader acceptance via a solid cover of The White Stripe’s “Seventh Nation Army” and a steady stream of confetti, giant balloons filled with other balloons, and backup dancers dressed in fuzzy animal costumes. Undeniable energy, humor, and showmanship.