The Flaming Lips performs on Sept. 11, 2020.
The Flaming Lips have taken socially distanced concerts to a whole new level.
On Friday (Jan. 22), the Lips successfully pulled their first official "Space Bubble" concert at the Criterion theater in the rock band's native Oklahoma City. A second show took place the following evening.
In a creative effort to provide a COVID-safe atmosphere, the Lips provided 100 inflatable see-through pods for attendees to stand in while watching the band perform on stage. Each bubble held up to three people.
The clever idea for the socially distanced concert stemmed from the famous clear orb Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne has used for years to roll across crowds during the band's festive concerts.
In addition to audience members, both Coyne and the other band members were enclosed in their own plastic bubbles during the Oklahoma City concerts. At one point during the concert, Coyne is seen holding a shiny silver-lettered balloon that reads "F--- YOU COVID19."
The "Space Bubble" concerts were originally scheduled for early December, but had to be postponed because of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the Oklahoma metro area.
The Lips did a test run for the "Space Bubble" concert at the Criterion last October. Footage from the event can be seen in the band's live videos for "Assassins of Youth" and "Brother Eye," from their 2020 album, American Head.
See footage from the Flaming Lips' most recent "Space Bubble" concert on YouTube, other clips from the show on Coyne's Instagram account, as well as this photo of the not-yet-inflated bubbles taken from above the concert floor.