The Flaming Lips have recently released a live DVD called U.F.O.S at the Zoo. It is the film of thier self proclaimed "legendary" 2006 performance in Oklahoma City, their home town. If you're like me and you've never been to a Flaming Lips show, this is as close as you'll ever get (for now of course). The performance here resembles a cross between a Funkadelic show and a KISS show. Needless to say it's something to see. The concert begins with Wayne Coyne, the band's lead singer/songwriter, coming off of a space ship in a giant hampster ball. He then proceeds to walk across the crowd. Added to the spectacle are large amounts of confetti, people dressed as Santa aliens, fake blood, beach balls, a nun doll, and more things you have to see to believe. While most bands claim to be DIY, the Flaming Lips actually do it themselves. Much of the show is put together by the band members (down to the spaceship created in Wayne's back yard). However, the spectacle never overshadows the performance, even if Wayne's voice is a bit horse in the beginning. Band favorites like "Race for the Prize", "The Spark That Bled", "She Don't Use Jelly", and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1" are brilliantly recreated live. Psychedelic pop is rarely this enjoyable, and you don't have to be high or trippin' on acid to appreciate it. I leave you with the chorus from the band's closing song "Love Yer Brain":

"You can love yer brain
Even if it slips down the drain
Man, I'm not no drug addict
But a person's gotta have something
To keep him from going insane"

I'm sure you all can relate. Here's the performance of "She Don't Use Jelly" from the DVD: