Last Night
Last Night: The Flaming Lips
Last night, I slipped somewhat awkwardly out of the Sorrento Hotel (Josh stayed; his report on the highbrow conversation here) and jetted with some pals down to the Paramount Theater, where the Flaming Lips had already started their set a little after 9 pm.
We walked in on a scene that included: A dancing bear, two orange-clad onstage cheering squads, confetti, streamers, dozens of giant balloons, footage of naked ladies, people in bunny suits, a mike-mounted camera feeding into an onstage screen, and disco balls shooting lasers into the crowd.
Since I shelled out for a fancy new iPhone with decent photo and video capability (my old one's somewhere on the US Capitol lawn), I couldn't resist the opportunity:
Balloons!
Mike camera!
Crazy-ass lasers shooting out of Lips singer Wayne Coyne's giant-glove-clad hands!
Even though I'm not wild about most sit-down shows at the Paramount---the ushers come through frequently to remind you to stay within your 12"-by-12" allotment of space---this one was a blast. With one exception: About halfway through, the dude in front of me---a guy who, I should point out, didn't clap or so much as nod once during the entire show---turned around, banged me hard on the arm, and snapped, "STOP BEING SO LOUD. WE'RE WATCHING A SHOW HERE." To which I responded, "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize we were at the symphony."
Otherwise, it was a total riot. I can't wait 'til they come to Seattle again.
We walked in on a scene that included: A dancing bear, two orange-clad onstage cheering squads, confetti, streamers, dozens of giant balloons, footage of naked ladies, people in bunny suits, a mike-mounted camera feeding into an onstage screen, and disco balls shooting lasers into the crowd.
Since I shelled out for a fancy new iPhone with decent photo and video capability (my old one's somewhere on the US Capitol lawn), I couldn't resist the opportunity:
Balloons!
Mike camera!
Crazy-ass lasers shooting out of Lips singer Wayne Coyne's giant-glove-clad hands!
Even though I'm not wild about most sit-down shows at the Paramount---the ushers come through frequently to remind you to stay within your 12"-by-12" allotment of space---this one was a blast. With one exception: About halfway through, the dude in front of me---a guy who, I should point out, didn't clap or so much as nod once during the entire show---turned around, banged me hard on the arm, and snapped, "STOP BEING SO LOUD. WE'RE WATCHING A SHOW HERE." To which I responded, "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize we were at the symphony."
Otherwise, it was a total riot. I can't wait 'til they come to Seattle again.
