There is really no reason that live albums need to exist. The whole era for those kinds of recordings seems to have passed us by, what with the advent of video sites and such for those who missed the actual performances in question. Still, The Soft Bulletin: Live at Red Rocks (feat. The Colorado Symphony & André de Ridder) by The Flaming Lips is a fairly enjoyable release, and a decent chronicle of what was undoubtedly a spectacle from the band. The release is out on Friday via Bella Union.
Recording a live run-through of 1999's The Soft Bulletin doesn't leave a lot of room for surprises, but this record still charms. "Race for the Prize" is in its live version even more expansive than it is on the original record, with the sound positively epic here, while "The Spiderbite Song" remains an eerie ramble. "The Spark That Bled" is, in the rendition here on The Soft Bulletin: Live at Red Rocks (feat. The Colorado Symphony & André de Ridder), even more cinematic than it already was, with Wayne Coyne's vocal performance an understated one. The strings here carry this one forward, as they do on "Suddenly Everything Has Changed", the elegant space rocker. If "Waiting for a Superman" is still tremendously affecting, hearing it in a live setting produces a sensation of thousands at once going on the same inward journey that the Lips are going on. The Soft Bulletin remains essential, but at least these live versions of the tracks add space to what were already fairly bold selections.
The Soft Bulletin: Live at Red Rocks (feat. The Colorado Symphony & André de Ridder) is out on Friday via Bella Union.
[Photo: J. Michelle Martin Coyne]