Returning to the Pageant in their near-annual pilgrimage, The Flaming Lips brought their legendary live performance to a sold-out crowd and left an aftermath of confetti, streamers, and laser glow in its wake.
The Flaming Lips are a band that I’ve wanted to photograph from my very start as a music photographer. Even before their seemingly perpetual festival circuit over the last few years and singer Wayne Coyne’s human hamster ball shtick, the band had gained a renown for epic live shows filled with confetti, pyrotechnics, and inventive props.
I’d come close to photographing the Flaming Lips in 2007, but it was not to be. So when I’d heard that the band was making a return to the Pageant this year, I was dead set on photographing the show. Not even lungs full of smoke could have stopped me.
So, was it worth the three year wait to photograph what may just be the best rock show on the planet?
Photographer’s Notes:
After three long years shooting gigs of all kinds, I finally got my shot at the spectacle that is the Flaming Lips’ concert. It did not disappoint. But than again, how could it?
With confetti cannons blasting off right out of the gate and the flurry of streamers and giant balloons, photographing the Flaming Lips from the front of the stage felt like being inside of a ever-shaken snow globe. It’s a big party.
For this shoot, I concentrated on shooting Wayne Coyne. Apologies to the other guys in the band – I’m going to blame it on the balloons.
In case you were wondering: Yes, Wayne does do the hamster ball at indoor venues – it’s not just at outdoor festivals :
To be completely honest, though, I think that the hamster ball shot is probably past it’s prime. The inflatable ball has seen so much use over the last six years that the plastic is pretty filmed over with marks and wear. Gone are the glory days when you could get clear, recognizable shots of Wayne grinning like a child. This isn’t to say that it wasn’t an exciting shoot to have the ball roll past me at 14mm – I don’t think that thrill has faded in the least.
Cameras Used:
Lenses Used:
For this shoot, I used a bit of everything. During the first song where Wayne rolls out in the ball and then comes back on stage popping the confetti-filled balloons, I used the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 extensively. Around this time and into the second song, I switched a bit more to the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, the range of which was great for the more medium distances when Wayne was rocking the megaphone and riding the bear.
During the third song, I switched to the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 for the telephoto reach, as Wayne had at this point stepped back to mid stage to rock the mic.
End Notes:
Now that I’ve finally photographed the Flaming Lips, I feel as though I’ve at long last checked this off my bucket list. But, just like KISS, I can’t wait to photograph this band again.
This entry was posted on Monday, September 20th, 2010 at 9:42 am and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2010, ball, balloons, band, concert photography, confetti, flaming lips, hamster ball, live, music photography, streamers, tour, wayne coyne. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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nice shots todd… i’ve been so underwhelmed with most people’s flaming lips shots. they all seem to look cluttered and unemotional. yours do a good job of conveying the atmosphere and emotion involved in one of their shows. the wide angle worked out well for you.
Hey Chris,
Thanks very much for the kind words. The Flaming Lips are one of those bands that have been photographed by hundreds – if not thousands – of music photographers with this look. The band has basically had the same stage performance for the last 6 years or so, so I do think there’s a real challenge to make “interesting” photos (ironically, since the production is so spectacular). Glad to hear this work for you on a different level.
One thing that struck me while shooting is that Wayne, despite doing this night after night, seems to be genuinely having the time of his life throwing those balloons around. Which I love.
this set looks really great man …… I bet it was fun to shoot
Hey Corey, thanks. It was a blast to shoot. Can’t wait to shoot the Flaming Lips again soon.
I agree with Chris Tuite’s comment. I’ve seen hundreds of pics of the band’s performances and yours do convey a different emotion than the standard fare.
Hey Eric, thanks very much for the comment, I appreciate it.
Confetti, a human hamster ball & Wayne riding a bear. And that's just the first 3 songs: The Flaming Lips http://bit.ly/blNl50
RT @toddowyoung: Confetti, a human hamster ball & Wayne riding a bear. And that's just the first 3 songs: The Flaming Lips http://bit.ly/blNl50
RT @toddowyoung: A human hamster ball & Wayne riding a bear. And that's just the first 3 songs: The Flaming Lips http://bit.ly/blNl50
RT @toddowyoung: Confetti, a human hamster ball & Wayne riding a bear. And that's just the first 3 songs: The Flaming Lips http://bit.ly/blNl50
Photos: The Flaming Lips: Returning to the Pageant in their near-annual pilgrimage, The Flaming Lips brought their… http://goo.gl/fb/5J04L
These shots are awesome! RT @jessluther: there's a @jstoff hiding in one of @toddowyoung's [awesome] flaming lips pics: http://j.mp/cJnG7M
Great shots Todd – RT @toddowyoung – Confetti, a human hamster ball & Wayne riding a bear … : The Flaming Lips http://bit.ly/blNl50
nice set Todd! I have to say the indoor environment gave you a unique perspective I think to capturing their show – again, nice job. I’m looking forward to seeing what it is like here in the next week…
Hey Elisa,
Thanks for the comment. Yeah, the indoor environment was interesting. For one, the balloons seemed to stick around forever, just bouncing around the stage. Not sure if they dissipate more quickly when it’s a festival environment or not.
You’ll have a blast next week!
plan to….
also, I really appreciate your notes on the lenses you used…I shot them last year – and remembered wide shots definitely have their place – so rented a wide angle(that am still awaiting adding to my kit) for the show…
last year, when they were here – it wasn’t a festival per se, but an outdoor amphitheatre – so yes, things dissapated into the crowd a bit…but really they had the balls and confetti seeminly flowing throughout…it was sheer madness…but a lot of fun to shoot!
I also agree on the ball shots – they aren’t unique anymore – but it’s still impossible to ignore when in the midst of it all!
lindo o trabalho do fotografo Todd Owyoung http://ishootshows.com/2010/09/20/photos-the-flaming-lips/ show do flaming lips <3
RT @nexisa: lindo o trabalho do fotografo Todd Owyoung http://ishootshows.com/2010/09/20/photos-the-flaming-lips/ show do flaming lips <3
RT @nexisa: lindo o trabalho do fotografo Todd Owyoung http://ishootshows.com/2010/09/20/photos-the-flaming-lips/ show do flaming lips <3
I wonder if they have multiple “hamster” balls or a new one…because the one at the show here – it was pretty clear…not so murky…I felt like I was able to get really clear shots in focus with him inside it – even if it is played out, lol – they will probably be my best shots…
The challenge I had at the show here was the lighting design – which looks significantly different than the one here…obviously there are similarities in the back ground…and maybe it was just the side I was shooting from…but it was super foggy, and backlit…
It was like shooting total madness – which is fun in of itself…but very different than the clearer shots I got last year whilst shooting from 3rd row mosh pit…not better worse, but definitely different…
I know this year, I had a hard time not getting all balloon in my shots…they were everywhere for the 2nd song, and much of the others…wide shots, and crowd shots were definitely the it shots, or the ones that showed off the most, at least here…and I would bet that the enclosed nature of the indoor show, and size of the theatre that show is in per city, greatly impacts the over all effect of the show…it was definitely dense madness here!
Hey Todd,
Thanks for the amazing shots! I was one of the dancers (the one at the very edge of the stage, looking almost directly at your camera in the photo above), and I’ve been dying to see what the concert looked like from the opposite point of view. You’re absolutely right- I’ve seen the Lips so many times, but they really MEAN it, which makes every time thrilling.
I’ve always felt like concert photography was a stale art (and I do a lot of it myself) and couldn’t possibly hope to represent the energy and mixed media presentation of a life show.
I always felt like a photograph could, at best, give an impression of how a show looked.
I’ve been watching your work for a couple months, and I feel absolutely wrong about how I have felt. Your work has energy, but it evokes feelings in me that I associate with music.. it feels very much like music.
And God, I love the Flaming Lips.
Keep up the excellent work.
Todd, I’m a huge fan of your blog and your work. I’ve just re-viewed this post because tomorrow I’ll have the opportunity to shoot Flaming Lips when they appear here in Hong Kong. Your photos are terrific and set a high standard for me to follow. Sadly, we don’t get acts of this caliber in this part of the world too often so I don’t get a chance to shoot this sort of thing as often as I’d like.
We have some equipment in common but I have just a single body (Nikon D700). I’ve got the 14-24mm f2.8 and 24-70mm f2.8 but so far just Nikon’s 70-300mm f4.5-5.6. (That’s one of the things that kills me about your work – I’m so lusting after the 70-200mm f2.8 but it’s not in my budget right now.) Since I have just one camera body and the standard three-songs-no-flash deal, I assume I should stick with the 24-70 and not waste time changing lenses. Any other tips that you could share would be appreciated!
Hey Spike,
Yes, I’d say that the 24-70mm f/2.8 will be your main lens for the first two songs – for the third song, that’s when Wayne moves back (at least he did that at my show), so you can just fire off some long shots with the 70-300mm.
The 14-24mm and 24-70mm will be great, though. Of those two, you could probably go with the midrange zoom for most of the two songs and just switch to the ultra-wide for a few shots. One suggestion I have is don’t get hung up on going too wide for too many shots. Hope this helps, and please post a link to your shots after the show!
Thanks Todd, I appreciate the quick reply and will keep your advice in mind. It’s amazing that the Lips are even coming here – we don’t get enough western rock acts – and due to the expense of coming here, we very often get scaled down versions of their shows, but I’m hoping that they managed to squeeze the hamster ball on a plane.
If my pics are good, I’ll definitely post a link here. In the meantime, hope you don’t see this as too blatant a plug, here’s the first show that I got to shoot 3-songs-no-flash, Jeff Beck (with Narada Michael Walden) here in HK in March of this year.
http://hongkietown.com/2010/03/his-name-is-beck-jeff-beck.html
If you only have time to look at one shot, this one’s my fave:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hongkietown/4457698388/
Hey Spike,
I like the pose/look you caught on that individual you posted, but I prefer the overall lighting and look of this image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hongkietown/4457685766/in/set-72157623554064797/
Definitely keep shooting concerts – hope more and more Western artists keep playing HK for you. But of course, shoot all those local/national/regional acts that play your city, too. That’s just as important.
Good luck with the Flaming Lips. A lot of their set at the start is the balloons, so I’m sure you’ll get that. And the Hamster Ball is inflatable, so hopefully they pack that, too. Have fun.
I shoot as often as I can and have also done shots of some of the local bar bands, but for reasons that I won’t go into here, it’s tough to bring a decent rig into those places.
It’s also a very tough, money-losing market for the promoters willing to take a chance and bring in some quality acts. A few years back, R.E.M. didn’t sell out half the room and a year or so before that a Neil Young show that kicked serious butt was only about 1/3rd full.
Being aware of that, and until I’m better established, here’s a tip for other aspiring photographers that I can share. What I’ve done that works for me is to first buy a ticket for the show. Then when I contact the promoter and present my credentials, I tell them I’m not looking for a freebie, I’ve already paid, I just want to get decent shots. So far it’s worked every time, fingers crossed for the Gorillaz show next month!
Hey Todd, here’s the link to my blogpost and photos of the Flaming Lips in Hong Kong. Not as good as yours of course but I’m quite happy with my shots.
http://hongkietown.com/2010/11/flaming-lips-photos.html