The Flaming Lips

The Blackwater Music Festival hits Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. this weekend. This fest draws a youngish crowd, with electronica acts STS9, Girl Talk, Eoto and Ghostland Observatory on the top of the bill.

Tickets are $165 through Wednesday, and $180 at the gate. That includes free primitive camping. (You could have bought 3-day tickets in May for the bargain advanced price of $110.)

You can get a one-day pass (no camping) for $40 Thursday, $60 Friday, and $70 Saturday.

The headliner is the incomparable psychedelic band The Flaming Lips, which puts on one of the best live shows on Earth. If you watch the excellent documentary about the band, Fearless Freaks, you'll learn that they used a motorcycle running on stage in tiny dive clubs to get a smoke-on-the-stage effect.

These days they have all the stage toys they can handle -- a plastic bubble to roll over the crowd with, clever cameras, confetti machines -- I'm writing this and it doesn't sound nearly as awesome as it is. Trust me, this will be one of the best live rock shows you will ever see.

Here's a little interesting video story about their shows featuring lead singer Wayne Coyne.

Hangout Fesitval on the Beach in Alabama This Weekend!

Folks are rolling into the Florida Panhandle for the big-ticket acts at the second Hangout Festival in Orange Beach, Alabama this weekend. The three-day festival passes are sold out, and they won't be selling one-day tickets either. So good luck!

The pre-party starts tonight on a funky note, with Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Moon Taxi, Andrew Duhon, Kristy Lee and Romany Rye. Tickets are $15 and are on sale now HERE.

Headliners include Paul Simon, The Flaming Lips, The Black Keys, Widespread  Panic, and more. No camping on site, you have to book accommodations at Orange Beach.

Last year was the first year for this fest, and it was marred by the oil spill in the Gulf. Organizers donated all profits to help the communities affected by the oil spill. Good to see these folks back this year with a giant beach party!!