Surly Doug, Manic Wayne

So this last weekend was unreal. The heat and humidity just ruined everything. Put me in a surly mood. Yet, I had high hopes that the show at the Bowl on Sunday would crack through the oppressive heat and funk of the LA air and my mind.

I was very eager to see the opening band Os Mutantes, as I mentioned before. So after some traffic and a quick nosh in the park, we made it to our seats just as they took the stage. I enjoyed them, but just as with most aging rekindled bands from the 60's, the stage presence wasn't all that. Regardless, the mix of Bossa Nova and Santana was perfect for the muggy day.

Thievery Corporation took the stage soon after. Although being from my hometown and having seen them in their element before...for some reason I wasn't too eager to see these guys. I try to like their albums, but they fall short for me most of the time. With that said, I give them props for being able to get the crowd going and the live performance added a needed energy to many of the songs. The two guys who are actually TC, didn't seem like they did all that much...I was kind of confused as to where they fit in. The last three songs really got the place jumping, only to be dampened by the last song where Wayne Coyne stepped up to sing in a barely audible raspy tone.

After a bunch of stage altering and maintenance....Flaming Lips took the stage, and so did dozens of St. Nicks, elves, aliens, and topless chica’s. Wayne informed us that the show was being taped for a DVD that would come out at the end of the year and urged us to go Ape Shit. Big white bubbly balloons, Confetti, and other insanity filled our vision while the band began a muted lackluster version of Race for the Prize (from my favorite lips album). After the song, Wayne again, told the audience to get into it and get nuts. The Sabbatical song was next, and pretty fun. Except that Wayne's voice was so far down in the mix and raspy that it sorta fell short. Oh, and after....he asked us to....yeah, get nuts. In fact, there wasn't a point in between any songs where Wayne wasn't pleading to us to make him look good for his precious DVD. The end of the show was salvaged with a glorious rendition of War Pigs by Black Sabbath.

Wayne, you're starting to annoy me. Your desire to milk your music for cash is starting to bother me. DVD's, JC Penny, and Snotty concert antics do not make a respectable rock act in my mind.