Tim SchumannThe Flaming Lips headline the Sol Summit Music & Cultura Festival
Nothing appeals to me more than a two-day outdoor music festival, especially in the heart of Downtown El Paso. That certainly was the case here last weekend as I had the pleasure of attending the debut of the Sol Summit Music & Cultura Festival. Of course, the main objective for me is the headlining act, The Flaming Lips finishing up on Sunday night. Sol Summit is a two-day event with 18 acts between two different stages and more food that one could imagine. There was a time where El Paso had mutable events of this caliber every year, but unfortunately every one of those events faded away with time. Personally, I hope Sol Summit returns next year, which I believe it will and hopefully the start for other musical events to follow its lead. 
As stated, there were 18 acts on the two-day card and truth be told, I had only heard of 4 out of the 18 and 3 of those were locals, Bloom Wave, Frontera Bugalu and of course, Sparta. These are the acts that had my attention, not taking anything away from the rest of the entertainment, all stellar in their own way and believe me, you had a choice. When I see people dancing in the street, having the time of their lives and at that moment, not a care in the world, but feeling the music, the vibe and most of all, the unity I see between total strangers, oh yeah, it warms the heart. A little bit of everything for everybody is what Sol Summit was about, bring the community together with some music, peace, love and understanding. Doesn’t get any better than that. 
Now, to the matter at hand, The Flaming Lips. Straight outa Oklahoma City in 83, the band has pumped out 16 releases in 34 years. The current line up consists of Wayne Coyne- Vocals (the only original member) Derek Brown- Keyboards / Matt Duckworth Kirksey- Percussion / Tommy McKenzie- Bass / Adam Judd Slaughter- Guitar. As most bands that have been around as long as the Lips have, line-up changes are the norm and to have one original member is not uncommon. I’ve been going to shows for 54 years and sadly, never saw The Flaming Lips, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but boy was I in for a treat.
Wayne and company hit the stage at 8:45 on the dot and went through a 14-song set list like a hot knife though butter. Songs two and three were the classics, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots parts one and two. Wayne stood adjacent to four 15 ft pink inflatable robots that swayed along to the music not the mention Wayne reminded me of Samson pushing the two pillars in the bible, yeah, I said it. This show belongs to Wayne and Wayne alone, he kept engaging playfully with the audience, throwing massive ballons into the crowd and telling them to, Keep Screaming, yeah, he kept saying that quite a bit and the crowd obliged tenfold. To say this show had a theatrical spin to it is an understatement, wild costumes, lasers, ballons, confetti, aliens and my personal favorite, A big round yellow sun that Wayne backed into while singing The Golden Path, a Chemical Brothers cover. For an encore, they do War Pigs, a tribute to Ozzy, nice touch. And of course, at the end of every show, wherever they’re at as in what city, Wayne holds up an inflatable that says, Fuck Yeah, El Paso. In closing, I’m so glad I got to finally experience a Flaming Lips show, for me, I always want to be entertained, and Wayne Coyne is one hell of a frontman, a true showman on all levels. In my opinion, The Flaming lips are all about the show but truly bringing people together with their psychedelic brand of rock music. It’s the total package and if you’re a fan, you know what I’m talking about. The Lips are out there and on tour, please check those listings and of course, I’ll see you at the next rock show.
Set List-
It Overtakes Me
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt.1
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt.2
Turn It On
Pompeii Am Gotterdamnerung
A Spoonful Weights A Ton
The Golden Path
Every Tear Drop Cried
The Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Song
Fight Test
She Don’t Use Jelly
Do You Realize?
James Villa
