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Gonzo Report: Flaming Lips still on fire at SDSU
Opener Modest Mouse put on a more modest performance
The Fearless Freaks is a 2005 documentary about the long-running Oklahoma City-based alternative rock act The Flaming Lips. When the film came out, the band was already 22 years into its run, but they were showing few signs of slowing down. After seeing them live at San Diego State’s Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, I can confidently report that they are still fearless and, even better, freakier than ever.
The show went down before a packed house on a muggy Wednesday night in early September. There were scattered tickets available online hours before showtime, but, by the time the headliner hit the stage, there were only a few visible patches of empty seats. I had what was perhaps too good of a sightline for confirming this, as I was up in the nosebleeds, stage-right, and had a much better view of the audience than the stage itself. This show was bound to be packed, though, as it was part of the same $30 All-In Live Nation ticket promotion as the Pixies/Spoon show I had seen a week prior. Further, Modest Mouse was also on the bill (they performed after Chicago-based Dehd played a short, five-song set). Two heavy-hitting indie bands who experienced peak commercial success in the 2000s may have been enough of a draw to fill these seats even without ticket promos.
But despite my view from the cheap seats, this show may have been the bargain of the century. The Flaming Lips have seriously leveled-up their live show since the last time I saw them in the late 2000s. I've seen the dancing mascots, human hamster balls, and plenty of confetti. But the 2025 experience is anchored by a massive light show so mesmerizing that the actual musicians (even vocalist/bandleader/carnival-barker Wayne Coyne) occasionally drift into the background of the never-ending visual stimuli. This visuals-upstaging-the-bands concert experience (see pretty much any Las Vegas Sphere footage) is likely the ultimate treat in a 5000+ capacity concert venue these days.
The majority of the audience was on the older side, (40 was likely the median age), but it was undoubtedly an energetic collective. This event also came equipped with the longest booze lines I have seen in a while. No surprise, the main men’s bathroom even reeked of vomit by the end of the show. After a long string of concerts where drunks seemed to be in short supply, this felt like a comforting reminder that irresponsible drinking is still alive and well at rock shows. Funnily enough, one of the highlights of my evening was getting carded (at what is apparently a quite youthful 50 years). My friend and I had some laughs over this while the guy in front of us lamented the fact that he hadn’t been carded in years. So, if you’re a bouncer or bartender, remember to card the gray-haired AARP-looking folks occasionally, just to cheer them up. It can be the ultimate pleasant surprise. They might even tip!
I should mention that, even though The Flaming Lips won over the majority of those in attendance, a large chunk of our row walked out early during their set. Judging by the shirts, I'd say these were fans of Modest Mouse, and weren’t exactly enthralled by The Flaming Lips live experience. To each their own. But to my mind, any straight-forward, indie-rock band from the last 30 or so years that currently opens for the band is lucky that they don’t have to follow them. The audience appreciated Modest Mouse’s set (especially their 2004 radio hit “Float On”). But it was a far cry from the manic glee generated by the Lips’ performance. Compare and contrast: six primarily stationary musicians on a stage with minimal lighting work vs. a performance that featured (besides the aforementioned incredible light show) 20 foot-high inflatable pink robots, massive audience balloons, and enough confetti to require a crew member with a leaf-blower to clear it off the stage landscaper-style between songs.
What a gig that must be. I like to think that lucky roadie had a couple months of experience blowing leaves off lawns in Oklahoma City, and now blows confetti off stages for Wayne Coyne, the most fearless freak of them all, just so Coyne can safely shoot more confetti at audience without slipping.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Gonzo Report: Flaming Lips still on fire at SDSU
Opener Modest Mouse put on a more modest performance
Gonzo Report: Flaming Lips still on fire at SDSU
Opener Modest Mouse put on a more modest performance
The Fearless Freaks is a 2005 documentary about the long-running Oklahoma City-based alternative rock act The Flaming Lips. When the film came out, the band was already 22 years into its run, but they were showing few signs of slowing down. After seeing them live at San Diego State’s Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, I can confidently report that they are still fearless and, even better, freakier than ever.
The show went down before a packed house on a muggy Wednesday night in early September. There were scattered tickets available online hours before showtime, but, by the time the headliner hit the stage, there were only a few visible patches of empty seats. I had what was perhaps too good of a sightline for confirming this, as I was up in the nosebleeds, stage-right, and had a much better view of the audience than the stage itself. This show was bound to be packed, though, as it was part of the same $30 All-In Live Nation ticket promotion as the Pixies/Spoon show I had seen a week prior. Further, Modest Mouse was also on the bill (they performed after Chicago-based Dehd played a short, five-song set). Two heavy-hitting indie bands who experienced peak commercial success in the 2000s may have been enough of a draw to fill these seats even without ticket promos.
But despite my view from the cheap seats, this show may have been the bargain of the century. The Flaming Lips have seriously leveled-up their live show since the last time I saw them in the late 2000s. I've seen the dancing mascots, human hamster balls, and plenty of confetti. But the 2025 experience is anchored by a massive light show so mesmerizing that the actual musicians (even vocalist/bandleader/carnival-barker Wayne Coyne) occasionally drift into the background of the never-ending visual stimuli. This visuals-upstaging-the-bands concert experience (see pretty much any Las Vegas Sphere footage) is likely the ultimate treat in a 5000+ capacity concert venue these days.
The majority of the audience was on the older side, (40 was likely the median age), but it was undoubtedly an energetic collective. This event also came equipped with the longest booze lines I have seen in a while. No surprise, the main men’s bathroom even reeked of vomit by the end of the show. After a long string of concerts where drunks seemed to be in short supply, this felt like a comforting reminder that irresponsible drinking is still alive and well at rock shows. Funnily enough, one of the highlights of my evening was getting carded (at what is apparently a quite youthful 50 years). My friend and I had some laughs over this while the guy in front of us lamented the fact that he hadn’t been carded in years. So, if you’re a bouncer or bartender, remember to card the gray-haired AARP-looking folks occasionally, just to cheer them up. It can be the ultimate pleasant surprise. They might even tip!
I should mention that, even though The Flaming Lips won over the majority of those in attendance, a large chunk of our row walked out early during their set. Judging by the shirts, I'd say these were fans of Modest Mouse, and weren’t exactly enthralled by The Flaming Lips live experience. To each their own. But to my mind, any straight-forward, indie-rock band from the last 30 or so years that currently opens for the band is lucky that they don’t have to follow them. The audience appreciated Modest Mouse’s set (especially their 2004 radio hit “Float On”). But it was a far cry from the manic glee generated by the Lips’ performance. Compare and contrast: six primarily stationary musicians on a stage with minimal lighting work vs. a performance that featured (besides the aforementioned incredible light show) 20 foot-high inflatable pink robots, massive audience balloons, and enough confetti to require a crew member with a leaf-blower to clear it off the stage landscaper-style between songs.
What a gig that must be. I like to think that lucky roadie had a couple months of experience blowing leaves off lawns in Oklahoma City, and now blows confetti off stages for Wayne Coyne, the most fearless freak of them all, just so Coyne can safely shoot more confetti at audience without slipping.
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