Open Thread: Wayne Coyne’s On-Stage Banter Sucks. Discuss.

The Flaming Lips, Pitchfork 2009 | © youaintnopicasso.com

, Pitchfork 2009 | © youaintnopicasso.com

Matt just put up his photos from The Flamings Lips at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival.

They’re must-see as always (the photos, that is), but the band is no longer retaining that status for me. It comes with a caveat now. It is “they are must-see if you’ve never seen them before and only if you haven’t seen them before.”

But even though the setlist was a bit different than normal, the overall show was pretty much the same. It had the same strengths and unfortunately the same weaknesses. On the plus side, the pluses still completely bury the minuses. The show is still an unparalleled display of wonder, highlighted by confetti, lights and giant balloons. However, Wayne still has a tendency to talk for almost as long as he sings. I’d say that they averaged about two minutes of talking between each song.

I can’t seem to get past this myself. I hate on-stage banter for the most part. But he goes on to say that he feels like it’s a nice little quirk of the band or something. What do you guys think?

August 18, 2009 |  by  |  Links, Open Thread
About the author

Justin Ward is the Editor at Live Music Blog and has been with the site from the very beginning. He currently lives in San Francisco and regularly tweets other stuff over @justinpward.

He also plays in NVO and sometimes calls himself dudha.us ("dude house"). Follow his projects over at JustinWard.org.

 
Tags:

Related Posts

Recent Posts

  • Greg Ray

    WC is compensating for the fact he can not sing a lick.

  • Greg Ray

    WC is compensating for the fact he can not sing a lick.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/croixboy/ David

    I like a little on-stage banter. I’ve been to Phish shows with absolutely ZERO banter, and it felt a bit impersonal. Yonder Mountain String Band had quite a bit of banter between songs on Saturday…I liked that.

    Flaming Lips…Saw them once and I thought the banter was interesting. Of course, it was my first time seeing them. That could have something to do with my level of enjoyment. That and dancing, naked, girls! Confetti

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/croixboy/ David

    I like a little on-stage banter. I’ve been to Phish shows with absolutely ZERO banter, and it felt a bit impersonal. Yonder Mountain String Band had quite a bit of banter between songs on Saturday…I liked that.

    Flaming Lips…Saw them once and I thought the banter was interesting. Of course, it was my first time seeing them. That could have something to do with my level of enjoyment. That and dancing, naked, girls! Confetti

  • chris tackett

    what is most annoying about coyne is not that he has banter with the crowd, it is that he says the exact same thing at every single show. I saw them both times they played Wakarusa and it seemed like he said the same stuff that he had said a year before. it felt more like a routine he was doing rather than genuine thought or dialogue.

  • chris tackett

    what is most annoying about coyne is not that he has banter with the crowd, it is that he says the exact same thing at every single show. I saw them both times they played Wakarusa and it seemed like he said the same stuff that he had said a year before. it felt more like a routine he was doing rather than genuine thought or dialogue.

  • nelsorp

    i feel like everyone should see the flaming lips, at least once, and maybe once a year at most. while the setlist, banter & antics don’t change greatly from year to year, i always enjoy the shows when i do get to see them. i come out of the show with a giant smile on my face.

  • nelsorp

    i feel like everyone should see the flaming lips, at least once, and maybe once a year at most. while the setlist, banter & antics don’t change greatly from year to year, i always enjoy the shows when i do get to see them. i come out of the show with a giant smile on my face.

  • http://www.burningoak.com Kane

    Loved these guys at Summer Camp 2008, but the Lips are going to be here in Seattle on Friday and I don’t think I’m going (nobody that wants to go, not because of the band).

    However, re:banter, I do want to hear *something* from the band. When I don’t hear a single word out of Phish at any point in the show, it does seem a little impersonal to me, too. That said, Wayne Coyne does cross the line a little bit when he talks between every song.

  • http://www.burningoak.com Kane

    Loved these guys at Summer Camp 2008, but the Lips are going to be here in Seattle on Friday and I don’t think I’m going (nobody that wants to go, not because of the band).

    However, re:banter, I do want to hear *something* from the band. When I don’t hear a single word out of Phish at any point in the show, it does seem a little impersonal to me, too. That said, Wayne Coyne does cross the line a little bit when he talks between every song.

  • Mike

    I was so pissed at Echo Project Fall 07 (amazing festival in GA). My buddies wanted to kill me. I had listened to the FL for a long time and heard some big talk about their live performances but had never seen them. Claypool was playing the most killer, creepiest set…it was a one off group called The Fancy Trio, with just Claypool, Skeric, and Dillon. If you ever come across this set, download it and listen to it on a full moon, it will send chills down your back. It was DARK.

    Anyway, FL and Claypool weren’t supposed to overlap but before claypool ended you saw the — lights/balloons/confetti– going nuts on the main stage. Convinced my friends to leave (claypool killed it for another 20 minutes). We get down to FL, it’s packed, and Wayne has lost his voice, can’t sing for shit. And he also bantered on and on and on and on and on because it was the last show of their tour and he was all sentimental. Needless to say, I don’t think my friends have forgiven me for that….Wayne was awful, he talked so much like everyone there had followed them on tour. Also bassnectar’s subliminal messaging banter “We should kill dick cheney because dick cheney is a murderer” in between beats, was also completely uncalled for. He is the WORST.

  • Mike

    I was so pissed at Echo Project Fall 07 (amazing festival in GA). My buddies wanted to kill me. I had listened to the FL for a long time and heard some big talk about their live performances but had never seen them. Claypool was playing the most killer, creepiest set…it was a one off group called The Fancy Trio, with just Claypool, Skeric, and Dillon. If you ever come across this set, download it and listen to it on a full moon, it will send chills down your back. It was DARK.

    Anyway, FL and Claypool weren’t supposed to overlap but before claypool ended you saw the — lights/balloons/confetti– going nuts on the main stage. Convinced my friends to leave (claypool killed it for another 20 minutes). We get down to FL, it’s packed, and Wayne has lost his voice, can’t sing for shit. And he also bantered on and on and on and on and on because it was the last show of their tour and he was all sentimental. Needless to say, I don’t think my friends have forgiven me for that….Wayne was awful, he talked so much like everyone there had followed them on tour. Also bassnectar’s subliminal messaging banter “We should kill dick cheney because dick cheney is a murderer” in between beats, was also completely uncalled for. He is the WORST.

  • Jimmy Coulas

    I think I talked to you about this. I really think that Wayne Coyne is very annoying on stage. Sometimes I wish he would just shut up and play music!

  • Jimmy Coulas

    I think I talked to you about this. I really think that Wayne Coyne is very annoying on stage. Sometimes I wish he would just shut up and play music!

  • chinacat503

    While Yoshimi is one of the great cds of all time, I refuse to spend money on their live show. I come because I want to hear well-played MUSIC, not talking and confetti bullshit. After seeing clips of some of their performances on youtube (or was it a dvd?), and reading several reliable reports, I have decided to stay away from their live act…. thanks, but no thanks

  • chinacat503

    While Yoshimi is one of the great cds of all time, I refuse to spend money on their live show. I come because I want to hear well-played MUSIC, not talking and confetti bullshit. After seeing clips of some of their performances on youtube (or was it a dvd?), and reading several reliable reports, I have decided to stay away from their live act…. thanks, but no thanks

  • johnney boston

    Wayne coyne is an egotistical prick. I saw the lips in boston and all he did was talk about himself more than play music. First and last show… I am a big fan of the studio albums but they were shitty live because he slowed them way down,,, and i agree, he acted as though everyone there had been following him on tour, like he was some god… pompous prick

  • johnney boston

    Wayne coyne is an egotistical prick. I saw the lips in boston and all he did was talk about himself more than play music. First and last show… I am a big fan of the studio albums but they were shitty live because he slowed them way down,,, and i agree, he acted as though everyone there had been following him on tour, like he was some god… pompous prick

  • Ronald Wah Wah Jones

    Not only do the Flaming Lips suck now but their hardcore fans are even worse. Clueless dolts. They have become a gimmick. The sing-a-longs are extremely cheesy. Set lists are basically the same every night & they dont play much of if any of their older material. Dark Side “remake” is an embarrassing abomination. Wayne used to be interesting but he has now become an old & tiresome act. Are those dancers on stage or cheerleaders? Lame lame LAME! The Lips are nothing more than a pathetic circus act feeding on the souls of the cultureless.

  • Hannah

    you sit here and put someone down publicly online, while that man is putting on a beautiful performance for the world almost every night..what makes YOU so awesome?.. what do YOU do on this planet.. ?