Flaming Lips | Weezer 7.28.11 PNC Bank Arts Center

Words by Alexandra Johnson | Photos by Joe Papeo

Exit 116 — As heated waves of evening air descended upon Holmdel, New Jersey, The Flaming Lips and Weezer fans jointly made an alliance at the PNC Bank Arts Center to witness a union that only before lived on nostalgic mix tapes and CD changers. Switch-hitting an alternative fusion of rock, pop and psychedelia for about three hours, front-men Wayne Coyne and Rivers Cuomo literally spun the ball in motion straight from the start.

Strolling on stage to a techno-trance introduction, the members of both bands seeped through slits in the backdrop, as Cuomo and Coyne emerged in enormous plastic bubbles that rolled them into the first few rows of an astonished crowd. As a veteran to the feat, Coyne bounced freely through the pockets of outstretched, admiring arms while Cuomo, a bubble-walk virgin, maneuvered through floating confetti in the same awkwardly-quirky manner that constructs his aura.

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Freed from the bubbles and wrapped up in a ripping cover of Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf”, simultaneously each band smacked ticket holders with the realization that the night was only blasting off. Playing alternating sets of three or four songs each, The Lips and Weezer sparked off the energy of their counterpart, playing tracks that weaved through the past three decades and making sweaty, dancing animals out of their once-human crowd.

Weezer’s sets played into their streamlined pop punk core. The L.A. four-piece pulled down to their roots and kicked out fan-favorites from Pinkerton and The Blue Album. Cuomo curated sing-a-longs that stretched to the back of the lawn with “Say it Ain’t So” and “Hash Pipe”. Even rare B-side gems, such as “Susanne”, found their way to the ears that were yearning for the chords to never cease. However, when Weezer led into a cover of Radiohead’s epic, “Paranoid Android” there was not a single tight-lipped mouth within earshot. Eyes were wide, arms were swaying and heads were reeling as Cuomo channeled Thom Yorke from behind his thick rimmed specs and acoustic six-string.

Intertwined, came perfectly calculated lunacy from The Flaming Lips, who matched Weezer’s bravado and established an impressive melodically driven performance of their own. A vibrant display and eye-catching visuals created a tripped-out circus of lights and smoke, crawling with costumes and hypnotizing, psychedelic streams of color. Getting things started with “Worm Mountain”, a track off their most recent double-album, Embryonic, The Lips, like their friends across the stage, did a great job of varying their choices of songs to highlight their vast musical catalogue. Jamming out to classics such as “Is David Bowie Dying” and “The Observer”, these Oklahoma City rockers gave the crowd more than what they asked for.

Closing out the night in tandem with “She Don’t Use Jelly” and “Undone – The Sweater Song”, The Flaming Lips and Weezer shook down the audience with a perfect disarray of ear-pleasing insanity. PNC was jolted, rock n’ roll aligned and concert goers were reminded that the best part of summer is always found within live music.

Setlist:

The Flaming Lips and Weezer
Space Bubble Intro
Sweet Leaf (Black Sabbath cover)

The Flaming Lips
Worm Mountain
Silver Trembling Hands
Yeah Yeah Yeah Song

Weezer
Hash Pipe
El Scorcho
Perfect Situation

The Flaming Lips
Is David Bowie Dying?
See The Leaves
Laser Hands Jam

Weezer
My Name is Jonas
Susanne
The Good Life

The Flaming Lips
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1
Ego’s Last Stand
Pompeii am Götterdämmerung

Weezer
Island in the Sun
You Gave Your Love to Me Softly
Paranoid Android (Radiohead cover)

The Flaming Lips
What Is The Light?
The Observer (Extended Jam)

Weezer
Pork and Beans
Tired of Sex
Say It Ain’t So
(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To

The Flaming Lips
Do You Realize??

Weezer
Buddy Holly
Only in Dreams