Torrential downpours throughout the second day of the Nelsonville Music Festival could not prevent an eccentric superstar from stealing the show.
Wayne Coyne won the crowd over with oversized confetti-filled balloons, a space bubble and butterfly kings despite a late arrival that pushed many of the earlier shows back.
The Flaming Lips' buses arrived around 9 a.m. when they were originally supposed to arrive around 6 a.m., and their complicated stage set-up meant that it needed to be completed before the other shows could begin.
Coyne was omnipresent throughout the day, making a point of seeing other shows. Post reporters spotted Coyne checking out fellow Oklahoman Samantha Crain's act in the No-Fi Cabin and popped up on the side of the main stage during The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger and Yo La Tengo.
The Lips' frontman expressed his pleasure at the day's festivities throughout the band's set, saying several times that he wanted to return.
"Whenever we play a festival, we're usually the weirdest ones there," Coyne said. "Today, we fit right in."
Sean Lennon, frontman of The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, also expressed interest in returning to the festival after fans begged for an encore that the band, whose 19-year-old drummer was performing his second show, was not prepared to play.
The rain, which began around 4 p.m., resulted in the main stage being shut down briefly and campers rushing to check on the state of their belongings. When the show resumed around 4:30 p.m., though, local favorites Southeast Engine steadily brought concertgoers' attention back to the main stage.
Torrential downpours during the folk band's show seemed to add to, not detract from, the audience's enjoyment.
Mucca Pazza, a self-described "punk marching band," played music that would not seem out of place in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. An array of marching band uniforms and a duo of cheerleaders drew interest from some members of the soaked crowd.
By the time Yo La Tengo took the stage at 9:25, the grassy area in front of the stage had been turned into a giant mud pit. As Ira Kaplan contorted himself around his guitar, the crowd around the stage began to swell.
Kaplan and the other members of Yo La Tengo provided the day's wittiest stage banter, saying they had lunched in Athens and seen the picture of Student Senate presidential candidate Matthew Wallce on Court Street.
Kaplan said, "I'm impressed with his gumption, he's a go-getter. ... We endorse him. Unless he turns out to be a dick, in which case we don't."
He also added that despite releasing many albums, the band had never had a picture of itself printed that large.
Coyne was present at various points throughout Yo La Tengo's set, taking multiple pictures and videos of the band on his iPhone and retrieving a large balloon that had been lost in a tree earlier in the day.
There was a lengthy gap between the end of Yo La Tengo's set and the beginning of The Flaming Lips' set, which started at roughly 11:20 p.m. Coyne prefaced the act by warning audience members' of the intesity of the band's strobe lights and telling them to simply close their eyes if they had problems.
With a setlist featuring "She Don't Use Jelly," "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1" and an encore of "Do You Realize??" the Lips drew the festival's largest audience so far.
Other notes from the second day include:
—Several artists thanked the festival's volunteers throughout the day, and Coyne called two of them on stage to demonstrate their hula hooping abilities.
—There was also a proposal during the Flaming Lips' performance.
—Other than Coyne, all of the Flaming Lips emerged from a door located in the back of the set and walked down a ramp to their instruments.
—Coyne walked on from the side of the stage and was crouching in his uninflated ball underneath the ramp while they did so.
—A collection of Dorothies — including the sign language interpreter — joined the Lips onstage with a smattering of the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow.
—Sean Lennon, Charlotte Kemp Muhl and the band's 19-year-old drummer, who Muhl proudly announced received his first lap dance the night before, all wore eccentric hats. Lennon wore a captain's hat, Muhl had a straw hat with a large feather and the drummer sported a nearly cartoonish tophat.
—Saturday's No-Fi lineup was one of hidden gems. Doug Paisley — a Canadian city boy with an American country soul — quipped continually about the schoolhouse setting. As audience members shuffled in and out, Paisley was only worried about one: a bee frantically flying at a window. Paisley continued his humorous banter, saying, "I guess I shouldn't take it personally that, that bee is trying desperately to get out of this show."
—Midway through Paisley's set, Cheyene Marie Mize joined. Mize accompanied Paisley with vocals and violin, sweetly harmonizing with his Johnny Cash-like voice.
—Mize continued to amaze, performing her own acoustic set after Paisley. Mize's voice poured out as soft as the rain outside but roared as vibrant as the thunder at times.
—One of the cool things about fests is watching musicians interact. During Yo La Tengo's set, Coyne was stageside watching and briefly talked with some members of Lost in the Trees. As soon as he walked away, Lost in the Trees' lead singer turned to his bandmates and looked so thrilled to have met the Flaming Lips' frontman.
—The sound from the Kids' Stage drifted into the No-Fi Cabin several times, particularly during Cheyenne Marie Mize's set. Often, the singer was drowned by lyrics such as "Meow meow meow."
—Mickey's Late Night Slice raised its price from $3 to $4 today, saying that they couldn't keep up with demand Friday.
—The award for the weekend's best meal so far has to go to Gilligan's, which featured a steak burger for $5, as well as excellent smoothies for those looking for a cooler treat. Every offering from the vendor was satisfying and reasonably priced.
—Today marked keyboardist Caitlin McGlade's last show with Athens-based She Bears.
—Nick Tolford was wearing a very cool Reggie Miller Team USA jersey.
Keep following tomorrow for coverage from the third and final day of the Nelsonville Music Festival. Also look for live updates throughout from @ThePostCulture.
—Bridget Mallon, John Nero and Adam Wagner contributed to this story.
