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Popping the bubble on The Flaming Lips’ live show
Wed, Jun 22, 2011 (5:56 p.m.)
You’ve seen one bubble you’ve seen them all, even if The Flaming Lips’ frontman Wayne Coyne is inside.
Photo: Erik Kabik/ RETNA
I was at Coachella 2004 the night The Flaming Lips debuted their giant bubble. And I was at the Cosmo pool on Friday, when frontman Wayne Coyne rolled over the crowd in the same damn piece of plastic. Isn’t the most innovative live band in the world supposed to change up its routine at least once every seven years?
Oh, that’s right, Coyne did climb onto the shoulders of a dude in a bear costume for part of a song. That was definitely worth the $40 ticket price.
Actually, it wasn’t even worth the drive over. If you’ve seen the Lips before, look deep into your heart, past all the bullshit praise that’s been heaped onto these guys, and you’ll realize I’m right. (Note: Using hallucinogenics during this exercise will result in a false positive.) And if you’ve never seen the Lips, here’s what you need to know: The first 10 minutes are pretty entertaining—balloons, streamers, psychedelic videos, confetti and yes, Wayne’s hamster routine—and then you might as well leave, ’cause it ain’t gonna get any more interesting. Coyne’s midshow laser-shooting hands notwithstanding.
The Details
- The Flaming Lips
- June 17, Cosmopolitan pool
You’ll notice I’ve written 189 words without once mentioning the music. I’m just channeling my inner Flaming Lip, in homage to the industry leaders in putting the music last. But when the visuals come first and the visuals don’t wow, what does that leave us with? A setlist loaded with junk off ponderous 2009 album Embryonic? I actually like a few of their older tunes, but it’s tough to focus on anything coming from the speakers when there are naked girls with hula hoops (onscreen) and clothed girls in Dorothy costumes (onstage) assaulting our eyeballs, to say nothing of that jerkoff running around trying to keep a red balloon in the air.
Coyne’s voice, never an instrument on par with, say, John Coltrane’s sax or Jimi Hendrix’s guitar, particularly sucked on Friday. Maybe the fur scarf he kept on all night—yes, in June, in Las Vegas—was to blame. More likely, that’s just how Coyne sounds coming off back-to-back Hollywood gigs. Wait, he had a day off between LA and Vegas? Scratch that. Lips apologists will have to blame it on the scarf.
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas dares to be different. From the hotel’s red reservations desks to fine art found throughout the resort, The Cosmopolitan’s signature style is helping to pave its own path on the Las Vegas Strip.
Upon entering the resort, you’re greeted by pillars of video boards playing video art by Digital Kitchen and David Rockwell Studio exclusively produced for The Cosmopolitan. Just beyond that, you’ll find all your favorite casino games on the resort’s 100,000-square-foot casino floor.
The Cosmopolitan’s rooms standout as the resort’s most unique feature. About 2,220 of The Cosmopolitan’s 2,995 rooms have 6-foot deep terraces that span the length of the room, a first at a modern Strip hotel. Other in-room amenities include soaking tubs, kitchenettes and quirky accessories like artsy coffee table books.
The dining experience at The Cosmopolitan isn’t something you’ll find at other Strip resorts, either. All of The Cosmopolitan’s 13 restaurateurs are new to the Las Vegas market. You’ll find American steakhouse fare in a modern setting at STK, top-notch sushi at Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill and the freshest fish flown in from the Mediterranean daily at Estiatorio Milos.
Whether the sun is up or down, Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub is the place to find the party at The Cosmopolitan. The venue is a dayclub/nightclub, complete with a pool and cabanas outside and three different rooms with three different vibes inside.
If nightclubs aren’t your thing, you can grab a drink at one of The Cosmopolitan’s five other bars, like The Chandelier, which is encased in 2 million dripping crystals.
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