The Flaming Lips have always some crazy ideas, there is nothing new about this. Earlier this year, they had suggested another crazy one: playing 8 shows in 8 different cities in just 24 hours. It’s about to happen, starting Wednesday June 17 at 3:30 pm local time in Memphis and finishing in New Orleans at 4 pm the following day. Talk about some dedication for touring! These guys may kill themselves at this rhythm.
MTV is planning to stream the whole thing for its O Music Awards! This will look like a hybrid between a film concert and a reality show, since streaming will also happen between concerts, like in the bus, which will carry the band from one city to the next.
Jeff Jacobs, who is in charge of the operations, is even saying that this section of the country is not the best one for this kind of technical stunt, as cellphone relays are kind of rare between Memphis and New Orleans, and he is ready to expect ‘bumps along the road’.
The Lips will not do complete shows, but rather short sets with the help of many musical guests, such as New Fumes, Gary Clark Jr., Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Neon Indian, Jackson Browne, Phantogram, Hunter Haynes, Neon Trees, Givers, Grimes and others in eight different cities! I don’t understand why Erykah Badu is not in that list…
If they manage to go through this music marathon, the Flaming Lips will enter the Guinness Book of World Records, beating a record held by Jay-Z who did only 7 concerts in 24 hours back in 2008. Is Wayne bringing his bubble along the road? I can only say good luck to them!