Modest Mouse and the Flaming Lips Hype Up Crowds at Santa Barbara Bowl

“You wasted life, why wouldn’t you waste the afterlife?” frontman Isacc Brock of the indie rock band, Modest Mouse, questions in his existential hit, “The Ocean Breathes Salty.”

Looking around the packed Santa Barbara Bowl on a perfectly balmy summer night, friends laughing and dancing together, or people’s eyes simply closed in pure musical enjoyment, it was clear that no one in the audience was wasting life.

In fact, the Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse show on Friday had some of the most carpe diem energy of any of the Bowl shows I’ve seen recently. Openers Dehd kicked things off with an intimate guitar-driven set urging people to shake off the work week with their dynamic surf-rock stylings.

From there Modest Mouse, who rose to fame in the 2000’s, charged to the stage and got right to work making our nostalgic high school dreams come true. With an easy command of the crowd, Brock dove straight into the hits, treating us to “Float On” as the second number. Despite how many times I’ve heard that song, it always hits, and in our world’s current crises, the comforting refrain that “We’ll all float on” resonated with a new level of peace and urgency.

For a band that was at their most famous more than 20 years ago, I did not think their musicianship would be at the flawless level that it was. Brock’s bold voice barked, crooned and almost-rapped with clear confidence and strength. His guitar appeared to be an extension of his body, and he didn’t miss a lick. Other highlights included the busy and plucky “Paper Thin Walls,” the rollicking “Dashboard” and my favorite, the dreamy and philosophical “Ocean Breathes Salty.”

As the sun went down, the lights, inflatables, and full theatrics came out for an action-packed set from the band that never disappoints, The Flaming Lips. Frontman Wayne Cone arrived at center stage with an army of pink robots to usher in his signature spectacle of positivity and release with fan-favorite, “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.”

Hits like “The Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Song (With all Your Power)” took on a revolutionary quality. I felt called to reflect not just on the rampant abuse of power occurring in our world, but also the burgeoning power of the people I experienced in that fully awake audience.

“Do You Realize” closed out their pre-encore set. It’s a song that feels both celebratory and sad, tired, yet triumphant. The theme of mortality arises yet again with Coyne singing a truth that people can spend their whole lives avoiding: “Everyone you know someday will die.”

For all of the special effects of a Flaming Lips show, their heartfelt songs and powerful melodies were enough for me to feel into the present moment and to breathe in the salty air, as Brock would have us do.

And since our time here is limited, it also didn’t hurt to see the brazen and classic “Fuck Yeah, Santa Barbara!” balloon sign guiding us along, reminding us of our own power, and the power of live music to bring us together.