Scene and Heard

THE FLAMING LIPS continue to confirm additional concert dates to their current summer itinerary. All dates are listed below. The LIPS are fresh off their very special two-night engagement in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery where they played to ecstatic capacity crowds, The band performed THE SOFT BULLETIN in its entirety the first night and their version of Pink Floyd’s THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (including spectacular vocal assistance from Peaches on a pair of Dark Side songs) on the second night. In addition, the LIPSadded a brief, stripped-down sunrise performance on the cemetery’s front lawn with assistance from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros on the morning of June 15^th. Each of these events has been heavily documented in the media so check out YouTube for highlights.

An exclusive Flaming Lips (life-size) Gummy Skull, with USB drive featuring “The Soft Bulletin: Live La Fantastique de Institution 2011,” was available for this event. It’s very possible that some of these special Skulls may remain in stock so double check the LIPS Official Store and grab it up before it’s gone…forever.

Possibly the most exciting news of the summer is the confirmation of a pair of NY area co-headline shows with Weezer July 28, at PNC Bank Arts Center and July 29, at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater. This will be a first for both bands as they will take the stage together and trade off songs. Naturally, these will be very special events and most likely will never happen again. The only thing that can be predicted is to expect the unpredictable.  Yeasayer will provide support.

Commenting on these shows Wayne Coyne remarked: “The Flaming Lips and Weezer are playing a show together…where they are actually playing together.”  “I asked Wayne if he has an extra bubble I could ride in,” dared Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo.  Needless to say don’t miss these unprecedented, monumental happenings.

Complete list of confirmed dates are as follows:

Wed     July 27              Bank Of America Pavilion                      Boston, MA
Thur      July 28              PNC Bank Arts Center                            Holmdel, NJ
(w/ LipsWeezer/WeezerLips Extravaganza & Yeasayer)

Fri        July 29              Nikon and Jones Beach                         Wantagh, NY
(w/ LipsWeezer/WeezerLips Extravaganza & Yeasayer)

Sun      July 31              Osheaga Festival                                  Montreal, Canada

(Featuring a special performance of “The Soft Bulletin” and more)

Wed     Aug 3               Red Rocks Amphitheater                       Morrison, CO

(w/ Primus – Special performance of “Dark Side Of The Moon” and more)

Thur      Aug 4               Harrah’s Council Bluffs                          Council Bluffs, IA

Fri        Aug 5               Kanrocksas –  Kansas Speedway           Kansas City, KS

Sat       Aug 6               Brady District Block Party                      Tulsa, OK
(w/ Primus, MuteMath and more)

Sat       Aug 20              Sound Town Fest/Somerset Amphit       Somerset, WI

Sat       Sep 3               Metamorphose                                      Izu City, Japan

Fri        Sep 9               Long Beach                                          Long Island, NY

Sat       Sep 10              Hopscotch festival                                Raleigh, NC

Fri        Sep 16              Telluride Blues & Brews Festival             Telluride, CO

Sat       Sep 17              The Great Saltair                                    Magna, UT

Mon      Sep 19              Eagle River Pavilion                              Eagle, ID

Tue       Sep 20              Keller Auditorium                                   Portland, OR

Wed     Sep 21              Western Washington Fair                       Puyallup, WA

Sat       Sep 24              Blackwater Music Festival                      Live Oak, FL

Tue       Oct 25              Main Street Armory                                Rochester, NY

Thur      Oct 27              Norva                                                   Norfolk, VA

Sat       Oct 29              Moogfest                                              Asheville, NC

As previously reported the LIPS have been busy recording post-EMBRYONIC new material on their own as well as indulging in some unique collaborations. Some of these amazing recordings have manifested themselves into and onto the resoundingly popular 12″ round vinyl “record” format and pressed in vivid multi-hues of Mr. Coyne’s own choosing. These lovely limited-edition artifacts have been sparsely distributed to independent record stores around the country and though most have been grabbed up, search carefully and you shall be rewarded. No two are exactly alike but some are still out there in the bins so happy hunting.  Other recordings have found their way onto Flash Drives embedded into the flavorful brains of juicy edible Gummy Skulls randomly distributed to various music emporiums or sold at the Hollywood Forever L.A. shows. Again, these too, may be findable. To recap, here is a list of all the new LIPS music released to date this year:

“TWO BLOBS F**KING,” released on Valentine’s Day, Feb 14^th, and available on YouTube now in 12 musical and visual parts designed to be played back on iPhone mobile devices simultaneously to create a lo-fi symphonic effect.

A very limited edition, self-released four-song 12″ color vinyl single followed in March and new songs with THE LIPS collaborating with Neon Indian and featuring the tracks:

“Is David Bowie Dying?,” “Alan’s Theremin,” “You Don’t Respond” and “Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth Part 2.”

April saw the release of “HEADY NUGGS: THE FIRST 5 WARNER BROS. RECORDS 1992 – 2002” for Record Store Day comprised of the complete recordings of:  Hit To Death In The Future Head (1992), Transmissions From The Satellite Heart (1993), Clouds Taste Metallic (1995), The Soft Bulletin (1999), and the Grammy Award-winning, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002). Standard issue pressed on 120-gram black vinyl for Record Store Day internationally. A “Special Limited Edition” was also available with each album pressed on colored vinyl (five different colors), sold through the LIPS’ webstore.

Also in April was the first-ever Gummy Skull with different flavored Gummy brain inside the skull (life-sized, completely edible and weighing in at over seven lbs. of chewy goodness), which houses a USB drive inside the brain – of a different flavor and color – with four new and exclusive songs: “Drug Chart,” “In Our Bodies, Out Of Our Heads,” “Walk With Me,” and “Hillary’s Time Machine Machine.” These are now rare but check www.flaminglips,com for details.

In May, another varied colored vinyl limited-edition 12″ four-song EP was released, this time featuring the LIPS collaborating with Prefuse 73 (Guillermo Scott Herren). Tracklist: “The Super Moon Made Me Want to Pee,” “Heavy Star Moving,” “Be Like That…That…That,” and “Guillermo’s Bolero.”Search and you shall find!

In June, a limited edition marijuana-flavored Gummy Skull with a USB drive featuring “The Soft Bulletin:  Live La Fantastique de Institution 2011” was available at the Hollywood Forever Los Angeles shows.

Just in time for July, the LIPS have introduced the Gummy Song Fetus in limited quantities to fans in tour markets. Naturally, the prenatal confection contains a USB Drive embedded into its cranial core with three brand-new recordings exclusive to this release: “Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear Part 2,” “Steven’s Moonbow,” and “Squishy Glass.” These will be very limited so don’t hesitate.

Future releases include such exotic formats as…well, you’ll just have to keep an eye onwww.flaminglips.com or look for Wayne Infamous tweets for clues. Until then, don’t miss the LIPSlive this summer. Check the LIPS official Store for brand new merch available now.