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In an era when it seemed impossible to safely host a crowded concert, the Flaming Lips found a way to do it in their home state of Oklahoma. The group put on two shows where participants – and musicians – stood inside “space bubbles” to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Wayne Coyne, frontman of Flaming Lips, came up with the idea. Even before the pandemic, Coyne used an inflatable bubble to dive into the crowd.
But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he thought of another use of space bubbles, drawing a cartoon of himself – and his fans – protected by bubbles at a concert.
“I think it was just around St. Patrick’s Day, so I just [thought of] that on the very first day of quarantine, “Coyne told CBS News in October.” I just made it like it wasn’t funny, you know, just as a joke, but part of it wasn’t. a joke, you know? “
During an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in May, The Flaming Lips decided to test Coyne’s idea. The group performed a few songs with around 30 people in individual bubbles during their performance.
“When the folks at Stephen wanted us to try this for their show, it gave me a little hint that it could be more than a joke,” Coyne told CBS News.
NBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Following the success of this performance, the group commissioned space bubbles from China for a show in October at the Criterion Theater in Oklahoma City. The first floor of the hall was filled with around 300 fans in plastic bubble barriers.
“I’m in my space bubble and [the fans] were excited, ”Coyne said of the group’s inventive performance. [the audience] it was just another gig and the idea that you’re in space, being in a bubble is awesome, but being at the gig is so awesome, and so once that happened i think it hit us like we were doing a gig in these bubbles. ”
“Once that starts you see excited people and happy people and people really having fun and it’s loud and outrageous,” he continued.
Coyne, his wife Katy Coyne and photographer Nathan Poppe shared images and video of the concert on social networks.
The plastic pods keep the fans at a safe distance, and Coyne pointed out that each bubble is cleaned with about 20 ounces of 70% isopropyl alcohol, hit with a leaf blower until the liquid evaporates. , then cleaned by one person in its entirety. painter’s costume and mask. The cleaning process is extended after each show.
The group was due to do another round of bubble concerts at the Criterion in December, but the shows have been postponed due to a spike in coronavirus cases in the state, BBC News reported. The concerts were postponed for last Friday and Saturday night, when the hall was again filled with 100 inflatable bubbles, each with up to three people inside.
The bubbles contain enough oxygen for three people to breathe for “over an hour and 10 minutes” before needing to be refreshed with a leaf blower, Coyne said, according to BBC News. Each bubble has a speaker inside, so the sound of the band wasn’t muffled, along with a fan, water, and a towel to wipe off the condensation. If fans needed to leave their bubble, they had a “I have to pee / hot here” sign and a member of the room staff escorted them to the bathroom wearing masks.
Since the applause inside the bubbles seemed muffled, people instead clapped by “hitting the top of their bubble,” Poppe said.
Fans left the room by rolling their bubbles towards the exit, then putting on masks and unzipping their plastic globe to leave the room.
Oklahoma has reported 374,853 cases of COVID-19 and 3,293 deaths, according to the state’s health department. The state is currently providing vaccines to health workers, first responders and residents over 65.
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