#music
The Flaming Lips
All we have is now. All we’ll ever have is now.
The Flaming Lips played at the Hordern in Sydney last night. It was a fairly standard Flaming Lips show — which is to say it was a really, really fun time.
I wouldn’t call myself a diehard fan, but I’ve been lucky enough to catch every one of their Australian shows since 2009. And every time, I’ve left feeling good about life — like things are gonna be alright. That might seem odd if you focus on the lyrics about death by volcano or inevitable selfishness that comes with power. But it’s not weird at all if you’ve seen them live, where the overwhelming message and tone is love.
In 2016, a friend I brought along had a bad day. They knew a few Flaming Lips songs but weren’t really into the band. Work had been rough, and they’d struggled to find parking at the venue. They plonked down in the stands, frowning. But by the end of the first verse of the first song, that frown was gone, and in its place was the biggest smile I’d seen since their wedding day.
This is The Flaming Lips’ superpower. For a band that came into this world a year before I was born to still be touring with so much energy and love to share... blows the mind.
The crowd last night was a mix of families with young kids (babies, even!), uni students, and older folks from all walks of life. At one point I was standing next to a politician (👋 Tanya Plibersek).
The highlight for me was Pompeii am Götterdämmerung, being blanketed in black confetti. Yay, volcanoes!
If you haven’t seen them live, do yourself a favour and grab a ticket when they’re in your town.
