The Flaming Lips with Phoenix and Pete Yorn
The Lips: A Visual Feast Topped with a Sonic Onslaught

You know that this is going to be a good show when you see mainman Wayne Coyne out on the stage 30 minutes before his band goes on prepping and preparing his grab bag of treats he’s gonna throw out to the crowd during his band’s set. A non-stop showman, providing a conductor’s mind set with a kids appetite for everything visual- Wayne strikes a chord of letting yourself go- and try your best to stay in the moment. A Wayne mantra might be like- ENJOY THIS NIGHT OR ELSE!
A compulsive master of ceremonies from the start:

1. All band members except Wayne emerge from the most private of parts of a woman’s anatomy amidst a giant LED screen to wave “hello”
2. Wayne in his gigantic bubble rolling through the crowd
3. Confetti- lots and lots of confetti in all shapes and sizes
4. Balloons- lots and lots of balloons of all shapes and sizes
5. More confetti, from canons and shooters
6. Wayne standing on the shoulders of a stage hand in an oversized apesuit
7. Wayne with lots of shakers, playing them to the microphone
8. Lots of cymbal crashing
9. Lots and lots of gong thwacking
10. Couch time onstage with the hand-picked ladies plucked from the audience
11. Muted trumpet playing to a funeral march
12. Megaphone blasting with strobelight attached to Wayne’s chest to emphasize the sonic blsat of optimism of the beauty of life
13. And on and on.

All in all,  a celebration of life and love with a healthy dose of sonic psycedelic freak-out.
Had a great time photographing this spectacle!
Phoenix: Sad to hear the news about the drummer’s mother not in good health…the acoustic set was just ok..simply too short of a set.
Pete Yorn: Decent enough set- talented bunch of musicians.
The night definitely belongs to the Lips and nothing but the Lips…

Lacuna Coil, Music as a Weapon IV, at Northerly Island, Chicago Ill..

Yes, even though this is Disturbed’s show, headliner’s and all; I’m not really here for them. I’m here for Lacuna Coil, to witness them live, up close and personal. For a six song set- what a treat! The two main songs from their new album “Shallow Life” come off great live: the current single “Spellbound”, along with “I will Survive”. Cristina’s voice is on fire, hitting the upper register with barely no signs of stress(this is, after all the second night of a three in a row on this current tour).

I love watching Cristina sing- when she cranks up her voice while leaning forward on the monitors, you can actually see the main vein in her neck pushing overload…man, she’s committed to win this crowd over! The main problem with being second up on a bill with four bands: you’re usually playing to a half-full house, with people trickling in..and even though their is enthusiastic applause, it’s a limited set for a limited crowd. You’ve got to do your best to make what limited time you have work in your favor-just simply blast away from one song to the next and hope you make some kind of impression…Lacuna Coil accomplished this with no problem.

They are splendid live, a real unified bunch: guitars from Cristiano and Marco just as crisp and tight as on their records, and Cristina and Andrea’s both in fine vocal form from beginning to end. I can’t wait to see them headline someday- with a full set and wicked imagerey- just like I envision in my head..

Concert Date: 23 May 2008
Location: United Center

Wordplay:

• A Vibrant Tour de Force
• Visionary
• Tons and Tons of bells and whistles
• A blast and a half of Hip-Hop
• Defend, Ambush and Annihilate
• Stands tall, Cocksure (and there’s the rub)

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Concert Date: 17 May 2008
Location: Allstate Arena

Wordplay:

• Endearing
• Missed
• Loved
• Bittersweet
• Emotional
• Expressive
• Beautiful
• Misunderstood – (In other words, not just a mopey goth band, you idiots! )

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Concert Date: 13 May 2008
Location: Rosemont Theater

Wordplay:

• Fierce
• Ambitious
• Demanding
• Exhilarating
• Imaginative
• Intricate
• Wonderful

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