I stopped reading after some douchebag compared the Arcade Fire to the Flaming Lips. The Lips haven't had a decent live show in years. If you've seen one, you've seen them all.
Actually, the recent addition of more members + cut-down on backing tracks that the Embryonic tracks have brought has significantly changed their live presence.
In fact, in the past year they've played some shows without big screens, balloons, and walking bubbles.
Not the same live show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb9Z5RukhFUPlus, it's hard to fault the Lips' live presence even when it's been samey, 'cos they pay an enormous amount of attention to their fans. Picking 16-or-so enthusiastic punters from the pit and giving them what's essentially free VIP treatment is something that most bands wouldn't even consider. Wayne is honestly one of the nicest, most patient people I've ever met.
Unlike AF, FLips aren't being constantly deified. We can agree that AF will most likely be seen as slightly legendary, just based on the hype-cloud they've maintained over the past half-decade. But there's no denying the Flaming Lips, who've been working at their craft for nearly three decades and show no signs of slowing down.
