The Flaming Lips performed to a sold-out Hammerstein Ballroom last night. The show featured Wayne Coyne rolling out into the crowd in a giant clear plastic bubble, tons of confetti shot into the air, hundreds of giant balloons let loose into the crowd, and a pack of aliens and Santas on each side of the stage to incitie the already rambunctious crowd. And that was just the first song.

Witnessing a Flaming Lips performance is like being at a ten-year-old’s birthday party on acid. While the band is not the most musical and relies on many backing tracks to deliver their synthesizer-heavy layered sound, it is certainly entertaining and a spectacle that every music fan should witness.

The opener, Dearhoof, San Francisco’s indie rock stars, both delighted and confused the crowd with their noise rock assault. Whatever confusion was left over by Dearhoof was quickly resolved by the Lips and Coyne’s message of hope, peace and the necessity of having a good time.