The group performed in their home state of Oklahoma. Each of the participants was dressed in a big plastic bubble. Every new fan of the band was also dressed, so both musicians and fans were protected from the Covid-19 virus and no security restrictions were violated.
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A musical Covid bubble. The Flaming Lips experiment with pandemic-safe concerts pic @MSN @ BBCRadio3 https://t.co/ln5cI2y9wN pic.twitter.com/ezjMbltaHR
— Petroc Trelawny (@PetrocTrelawny) October 16, 2020
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The concert featured both a live performance and a video recording. The idea for the “bubble concert” came to the group’s soloist Wayne Koine at the beginning of the pandemic.
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“I remembered 2019 when we performed at a concert. I was the only person dressed in a bubble while everyone else looked normal. A year later, I do the same thing again, only this time both I and everyone else are dressed in bubbles,” says Cain.
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How it started: How it’s going:@theflaminglips pic.twitter.com/ejTnoSb4Zx
— bluedot (@bluedotfestival) October 16, 2020
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Seeing that the pandemic would drag on for much longer than he thought, Wayne began planning the band’s concerts in a pandemic. The idea for the big “bubble concert” came about in May, when “The Flaming Lips” performed like this for the first time, performing on a US show, where both the band members and 30 spectators were dressed in bubbles. After the concert “The Flaming Lips”, they realized that they could continue to perform like this, as long as there are restrictions.
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The use of such bubbles is not uncommon for the group, as they have also been used in the group’s performances in previous years’ concerts. This time, 100 large plastic bubbles were ordered from China to create an impressive concert.
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The Flaming Lips performed a gig in bubbles to an audience also in bubbles last night. pic.twitter.com/XzNRKWvPn4
— Robby Richmond (@Robbyrichmond) October 14, 2020
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After the biggest “bubble concert”, both the band and the fans were thrilled. “I liked the way it looked because you can be as excited as you want, shout as much as you want and you don’t have to worry about getting an infection,” says Cain.
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The Flaming Lips plans to perform at such concerts in the future in the event of a pandemic, but also hopes that a vaccine against the Covid-19 virus will be available soon.
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