The Flaming Lips Perform "Race For The Prize" On 'Colbert' From Socially-Distant Plastic Bubbles [Watch]

In the new socially-distant era, maintaining a safe distance is of utmost importance, and The Flaming Lips showed their adherence to that guideline with their performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday.

While most performances for Stephen Colbert‘s “Play At Home” virtual music series showcase artists at their respective home quarantine locations–usually a living room or home studio–The Flaming Lips took their late-night appearance to a whole new level by playing onstage inside giant plastic bubbles–a device which singer Wayne Coyne is famously known. Not only did each member of the band have their own safe performance space, but the crowd that gathered to watch them had their own bubbles too, making it possibly the safest way to enjoy live music.

The Late Show appearance saw The Flaming Lips deliver an energy-rich take on “Race For The Prize”, which originally appeared on the band’s 1999 The Soft Bulletin album. Coyne sang the song passionately, which describes two scientists “Racing for the good of mankind”—giving the performance a topical quality considering the current global health crisis. Synthesizer and soaring backing vocals dominated the chorus, as fans in the crowd danced along in their sanitary environments, and as the song progressed, it seemed as though the plastic bubbles were ready to burst at the seams. When the band finally hit the endpoint, fans erupted with applause, many of whom were probably witnessing their first live music event since March.

Watch the entire Late Show performance below.

The Flaming Lips – “Race For The Prize” – The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

[Video: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]

The Flaming Lips were scheduled for a summer tour of the U.K. this year, however, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, those shows have been postponed. Head to the band’s website for the latest tour information and check out Live For Live Music‘s concert cancellation tracker for daily updates on shows around the world.