Taking a peek into other industries to see how they delight and inspire loyal audiences is one area that everyone could benefit from, no matter who you are. I have always admired The Flaming Lips live act; the dancing Santas, copious amounts of confetti, balloons and a light and projection setup that even Peter Gabriel would envy, is simply brilliant. Looking at the show from the lens of an experience designer, here are the things that I thought everyone could utilize.
1. Set the stage
Right before the concert began, Wayne Coyne, the lead singer, came out and spoke to the audience. That alone is uncommon and a nice touch, but Wayne wasn’t just greeting everyone. He was building excitement and informing us that he would be kicking off the show by coming out into the crowd in his life size human bubble to sing. “Hold me up,” he said with a grin.
Make a personal connection right from the beginning, good intentions win you fans.
2. Blow them away
There is nothing typical about what The Flaming Lips give to their fans in person. If your not impressed by the costumery, no matter, the sea of 3 and 5 foot balloons, multi-colored confetti and lights will surely snap you back into childlike awe.
No one HAS to go all out, but your clients will notice and be back for more.
3. Hello Cleveland!
Half way through the show, Wayne paused and reminisced with the audience. “We’ve played some of our greatest shows in Austin.” He would go on to talk about the bands’ appearance with the Butthole Surfers (one of Austin’s local legacies) during SXSW in 1999.
Essentially, Wayne wanted to make it about us; that somehow we had a part in how great they were. That’s gratitude.