Last night, The Flaming Lips performed their 1999 album The Soft Bulletin in its entirety with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra at Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The idea to collaborate was pitched a few years ago, when CSO’s Vice President Tony Pierce met the Lips long-time manager, Scott Booker, at a music-industry conference in Denver and the two exchanged business cards.
The idea progressed after a conversation between Pierce and a German conductor well known for his work with Damon Albarn and Gorillaz. “I mentioned Scott Booker and the Flaming Lips, and the first thing out of André’s mouth was, ‘We’ve got to do The Soft Bulletin,'” Pierce recalls in an interview with Westword.
Once a date was confirmed, the Lips were excited to come on board since they hadn’t played Red Rocks since their 2011 Dark Side of the Moon performance. “Red Rocks is just one of those classic American venues,” bandleader Wayne Coyne explained in an “People will go there for anything…they’d go there for Bingo Night if they could.”
Since the album’s original string sounds were recorded using synthesizers and samples, they had to come up with entirely new sheet music and orchestral arrangements. Pierce introduced the Lips to Tom Hagerman of DeVotchKa, who offered to write the charts.
Last night, the dream became a reality and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra performed The Soft Bullet in it’s entirety, then joined the band for a “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1” and “Do You Realize??” encore. The band returned to the stage alone for a second encore, springing David Bowie‘s “Space Oddity,” which they recently released a music video for, and “The W.A.N.D.” Watch some fan-shot videos from the magical night below:
Race For The Prize
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1
The W.A.N.D.
The Flaming Lips with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra 5/26/16:
The Soft Bulletin: Race for the Prize, A Spoonful Weighs a Ton, The Spark That Bled, The Spiderbite Song, Buggin’, What Is the Light?, The Observer, Waitin’ for a Superman, Suddenly Everything Has Changed, The Gash, Feeling Yourself Disintegrate, Sleeping on the Roof
Encore: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1, Do You Realize??
Encore 2: Space Oddity (David Bowie cover), The W.A.N.D.