The Flaming Lips at Toyota Music Factory in Dallas,Texas on August 19, 2025.
Photos and Review by The Pit Magazine Contributor Nicole Pollock
“Did you know The Flaming Lips are from Oklahoma City?” I had heard this question often growing up and I still hear it to this day. I have been familiar with The Flaming Lips for some time now as I am from Oklahoma, too. We have a street named after them in OKC and it is extremely common to see their posters hanging in record shops, restaurants, etc. but this was my first time seeing them live and funny enough, I did not see them in Oklahoma. I attended the show in Irving, TX at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory and they did NOT disappoint.
The first band took the stage and introduced themselves as Friko from Chicago. Niko Kapetan, the frontman for Friko, greeted the audience and informed us that this was the band’s first time in Texas. This group is on the younger side as the band itself is less than 10 years old but their performance was nothing short of incredible. The group of 4 is a very guitar heavy band with solid vocals and overflowing stage presence. I had not heard of them beforehand, but I liked their performance so much that I did go check them out after the show. They have 2 albums out if you want to go check them out, too!
Friko Gallery
The next opener was Modest Mouse. This was the 2nd time this year that I got the opportunity to shoot this band and while the sets were the same, the crowds at the two shows were very different. The stage lights were still extremely colorful and the fans still went crazy for their cover of The Floaters’ “Float On” but the audience gave the band a lot more energy this time around. Isaac Brock was giving this energy right back, not just through the music, but also with his personality. Someone in the audience said something like, “You guys sound good,” and then Brock replied sarcastically “Yeah, that’s what we’re trying to do,” which got some laughs. They started their performance with “Dramamine” and finished with “Gravity Rides Everything.” Some fans were dancing around the pit and the fans that had seat tickets were up from their chairs and headbanging to the music.
Modest Mouse Gallery
Then it was time for The Flaming Lips to perform and the band members took the stage. They played “Sleeping On the Roof” as an intro while 4 big pink deflated blobs sat on the stage. Then Wayne Coyne joined the rest of the band on stage and they jumped into “Yoshimi battles the pink robots.” Halfway through the song, those pink blobs started inflating and suddenly I was in the photo pit looking up at a half inflated pink robot who was bent over looking right back at me. Once standing straight up, these things were massive. During one part there were people standing behind the 4 pink robots and shaking them to make them look like they were dancing to the songs. I was already impressed by the stage presence, quality of music, and stage props while thinking, surely it can’t get any better than this. And then it did. The confetti cannons started going off… within the first 3 songs. Coyne made his way to the back of the stage and then returned with a confetti popper, popping it into the air above the pit. He did this several times, like almost a comedic amount of times. When you would think, “surely he isn’t going to pop another,” he did, and we loved it. They had themed confetti, shaped as little pink robots, and they didn’t just use it during the beginning of their performance or just at the end like most concerts, but the confetti continued raining throughout the night creating a fun and energetic environment.
I heard someone say in passing, “It’s like there’s a different stage set for every song,” and I couldn’t agree more. A lot of different inflatable costumes made an appearance including aliens wearing sparkly outfits, a sun, and even two eyes and a mouth coming together to make a face. There was a huge screen behind the band that displayed visuals and lyrics to songs such as “Turn It On” and “She Don’t Use Jelly.” There were huge balloons being popcorn’ed around the crowd while the band performed and when the balloons would pop confetti would come out. Every time a song ended, Coyne never let the fans lose energy or interest, but instead encouraged them to continue cheering and having a good time which kept the enthusiasm elevated for the whole show.
Flaming Lips Gallery
I stood there as confetti was raining, the band was performing, and those massive balloons were being hit into the air all around me and I realized that Wayne Coyne was born to be a performer. His vocal talent is respectable and recognizable, but also he and the band are able to put on a phenomenal production. The Flaming Lips have been building their discography for the past 42 years with plenty of recognizable songs which makes for great live performances.
Before the night came to an end, Coyne left the stage but, through his mic, encouraged the crowd to keep cheering. He returned wearing an American flag as a cape and announced that they would be releasing a live cover version of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and that they were recording it right there in Irving, Texas. He gave us a monologue about why that song is important to them and also designated the performance to Ozzy Osbourne as a way to honor him. If/ when the live version gets released you will be able to hear the roaring applause of the crowd, everyone continued to cheer even after the song was over. They brought out an inflatable rainbow and the confetti started to fall which took us into the final song of the night, “Race for the Prize.” Nearing the end of the song, Coyne brought out a silver balloon display that read “Fuck Yeah, Irving.” The voices of fans filled the venue while the confetti was coming down. The finale of their show felt like it was straight from a movie. I think that everybody should see The Flaming Lips at least once in their life.
Photos by The Pit Magazine photographer Nicole Pollock in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ©2025.
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