The Flaming Lips Announce More Space Bubble Concerts
After performing their first socially distant live shows in their hometown of Oklahoma City last month, the Flaming Lips are bringing more shows that will also feature a band and audience encased in space bubbles.
Two new gigs were announced, scheduled for March 12 and 13. They are happening at the same venue as the first pair, Oklahoma City’s The Criterion. According to a press release, “local health and safety standards will be strictly observed for this full-production live Lips event.”
The first announcement was followed with this:
“Due to overwhelming demand, two more Space Bubble Concerts have been added for March 11th and 14th at Criterion OKC in Oklahoma City, OK, USA!”
The Flaming Lips have long performed in a space bubble during concerts. Prior to the live debut of their COVID-safe set-up, they showed their bubbled audience technique during a performance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and in videos for “Brother Eye” and “Assassins of Youth” from their 2020 album “American Head”.
According to the frontman Wayne Coyne the concerts are “safer than going to the grocery store.” At every show, there are 100 bubbles, each capable of holding a maximum of three people.
The capsules are equipped with a speaker, fan, bottle of water, towel, and a sign reading “I gotta go pee/It’s hot in here” to be shown to stewards, who escorted attendees or refilled the bubbles with cool air.
“We collect everybody and then we take them row by row to their bubbles,” Coyne told Rolling Stone. “Once you’re in the bubble you can do whatever the f–k you want, and that’s the beauty of it. That’s what we spent most of the time figuring out. The music part of it, we got that s–t down.”
Head here for tickets and more information.
