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To compare the play lists from this show and the show I saw in Ft. Worth a few months back, you would think the performances to be identical. And as far as stage antics and music goes, they may have been. But there is something special about watching a band play for their home town. This was my first opportunity to see a show at this venue, and was not overly eager at the idea of standing through three different bands... but Starlight Mints and Liz Phair took their time on stage and before I knew it, Wayne was up there beckoning us to action. For those of you who have never seen a Lips show before, it is definitely an audience participation event. The show started quite grandly with a Carmen Burano overture with some b-movie flicks of women doing karate moves at the camera which can only get you ready for this in-your-face show.

Wayne Coyne, the Lips frontman, makes a conscious effort to entertain while on stage from small gimmicks (like the boxing nun) to pure gore (in happy birthday), he makes no qualms that he will sell out to bring a smile to even the most casual fan. What seperated this homecoming for me was his honesty with the crowd, understanding that we came to be entertained or for escape not to be lectured to or brainwashed, and apologizing to the crowd for not playing at home more often than they have. These words touched home with me and are the small things that keeps them near the top of my list even as the band matures into adulthood.

Of course, the gem at the end of the show was the encore where we were treated with a first time rendition of "Breathe in the Air" that would even make Roger Waters smile and then finishing up with the hypnotic "What is the Light" into "The Observer" where Wayne picked up the guitar and wailed onto a tired, yet hushed crowd. And though our bodies ached after 5 hours of standing, we stood glued to the floor enjoying every last note, and I left once again a happy fan.