Flaming Lips Close Out Forecastle Festival With Politics and Confetti

After three heat-filled days in Louisville, Ky., the ninth annual Forecastle Festival came to a riveting end Sunday night when the always-festive Flaming Lips performed a 90-minute set. Like some of the other bands who performed at the Main Stage Sunday, the Lips hadn't been to Louisville in a while, but lead singer Wayne Coyne praised the fest and hoped it would "continue for a 100 years."

During opener 'Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear,' Coyne did his usual gerbil-in-a-plastic-bubble schtick as girls dressed in orange attire danced onstage, LCD screens came to life with vibrant images, confetti cannons showered the crowd of 10,000 people and enormous balloons bounced all over festival grounds. "Tell Muhammad Ali we all say hi," said Coyne to the crowd, alluding to how the boxer is from Louisville. He then added it was the audience's "last blast at the fest," so he kept inciting the crowd to participate going as far as advocating for them to smoke pot. "Spoon is backstage smoking a lot of pot, so everyone else should do the same," Coyne joked.

The set had both its jovial and earnest moments with a couple of inspiring political rants mixed in. Coyne, ever the philosopher, gave tangential introductions for the 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song,' explaining if you're frustrated with something you can't control, sometimes the best way to deal with it is through the power of song. He then got existential on 'In the Morning of the Magicians,' asking if giving love was a waste of time, but concluded with, "If you give love, I guarantee, motherf---ers, you'll be the moved loved person."

Coyne roused more crowd interaction during 'I Can Be a Frog,' telling the audience that when he mentioned an animal, they should make a noise. So when he sang about a cat, the crowd obeyed and "meowed" back at him. During an acoustic version of 'Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt.1,' two giant mirror balls onstage spun around and caused a magical glittering effect. The band touched upon politics again when they played a stirring rendition of 'Taps' and emphasized the importance of "believing in peace."

Even though the Lips revised their set list and opted to play more songs from 'Embryonic' than usual, they stayed with what worked and ended on perennial closer 'Do You Realize??' More confetti, smoke and streamers exploded into the air, ending the night -- and festival -- with a huge bang.