Over the weekend, The Flaming Lips held their first live in-person Bubble Show, which consists of giant plastic bubbles for each attendee and performer in order to remain safe from the global Covid-19 pandemic. This Oklahoma City concert was the kick off for the rock-band’s 2021 tour and is the first indication of what live music could realistically look like post-plague. The tour is in promotion of the bands most recent full-length album American Head which was released in 2020.
The band has used the bubbles in the past as a show-prop, however, this marks the first time they have used this technique as a safety protocol. Wayne Coyne, the bands lead, held up balloons that read ‘FUCK YOU COVID-19′, marking the occasion as a clear moment in the pandemics history. Each plastic bubble can hold up to three people, dedicated to those who are in the same household.
The Bubble Show is scheduled to come to the UK, as The Flaming Lips have not yet postponed their summer EU tour. However, the rules and regulations will be different considering the UK has more strict restrictions in place because of the new UK variant of the disease. As many concerts and festivals, including the famed Glastonbury Festival, have already been cancelled it is still to be determined whether The Flaming Lips will postpone the fast approaching dates.
The band has sold-out arenas in the States and is currently undergoing their Bubble concerts until the Spring when they will take it over seas. The Oklahoma City first Bubble Show was preformed over the weekend, however, it was originally scheduled for December but was pushed due to safety concerns surrounding the Covid-19 Christmas resurgence.
American Head has great relevance to Covid-19 as it is riddled in wistful dreams of a better time. Coyne is eager to perform this album live in the coming year despite continued world-wide safety concerns because the album has brought joy to isolated listeners in this period of international disaster.
In an interview with Brooklyn Vegan on discussing the use of the plastic bubbles, Coyne stated that he was not “not suggesting the whole world should do it this way. I’m just saying The Flaming Lips can try it this way, and if you like our music, you can come see us. You’ll have to be in one of these space bubbles, but maybe that’ll be a good thing.”
While it still remains to be seen if this space-bubble precaution will become norm in the coming years for live-concerts, it is certain that it has made history during this pandemic as one of the most extreme and spectacular safety precautions taken to bring fans a piece of the live-music they so dearly miss. Tickets for the UK/EU The Flaming Lips tour are available for purchase here and tour-dates can be found below. The groups latest album and muse for the Bubble Shows, American Head is streaming on all platforms now.
UK and Ireland tour dates for 2021 are as follows.
