Flaming Lips

It's unlikely that any song has equalled the measured inanity of the Power Puff Girls television show quite as much as the Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi Vs. the Pink Robots Part I" (with the exception, perhaps, of that show's theme song). "Vs. Part I" transports the listener to a world where "evil-natured robots programmed to destroy us" are defeated at the hands of Yoshimi, a woman who's "gotta be strong to fight them, so she's taking lots of vitamins." It's fair to say the band doesn't have the strongest grip on realism. But rather than lapsing into Warholian incomprehensibility, the Lips craft nonsense poems in the tradition of Lewis Carroll—despite the silliness with which they're presented, vivid images leap to (and stick in one's) mind. Live, they are a tripped-out phenomenon, with bizarre props, confusing light configurations, and occasional crowd surfing in a giant plastic bubble. All ages.
Sun., Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m.