Sunday night’s show on Brown’s Island felt like a ritual, maybe even a communion, as a field full of strangers came together under clear skies and perfect weather. Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, and opener Friko gave the crowd exactly what we came for.
Modest Mouse took the stage as the sun slipped behind the James River. Isaac Brock, still sharp-edged and unpredictable, led the band through a tense, emotionally wired set. When “Float On” finally hit, the place cracked open.
Then came The Flaming Lips in all their freaked-out, heartfelt glory. Wayne Coyne, always part frontman and part spiritual weirdo, moved through costume changes like a man swapping dimensions. Behind him, giant letters flashed messages of love and absurdity across massive screens, framed by towering robots and dancing aliens.
“Do You Realize??” hit like a rock sermon, equal parts beautiful and brutal. “She Don’t Use Jelly” dropped like a glitter bomb of early-’90s alt rock, a flash of MTV era joy for anyone old enough to remember it. People passed joints, belted lyrics, and laughed with people they didn’t know. For a few hours, it felt like we were one big tribe just trying to stay human.
But it was their cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”, a thunderous, slightly unhinged tribute to Ozzy Osbourne that pushed the night over the edge. Unexpected, loud as hell, and paired with a full-on psychedelic light show, it blew the roof off, even if there wasn’t one.
And at the very end, Wayne came out holding a giant “Fuck Yeah Richmond” balloon. That was all that needed to be said. Because yeah, Richmond is awesome. We felt it. We appreciate you. Come back anytime.
Photographer Joey Wharton was on hand to capture the night.
Modest Mouse: Formed in the mid-’90s outside Seattle, Modest Mouse helped define the sound of indie rock in the early 2000s. Their breakthrough came with Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004), featuring the enduring hit “Float On.” Their sound blends anxious energy with strange beauty led by Isaac Brock’s raw, poetic lyrics.
The Flaming Lips: An Oklahoma-based band known for turning live shows into kaleidoscopic rituals. The Flaming Lips broke through with 1999’s The Soft Bulletin and cemented their cult legacy with Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Led by Wayne Coyne, the band mixes psychedelic rock with visual spectacle; think confetti cannons, giant unicorns, and songs about the fragile magic of being alive.
Flaming Lips by Joey Wharton
MOdest Mouse by Joey Wharton
