In the past year, the Flaming Lips have learned that their whole gimmick is perfectly compatible with the pandemic. After months of planning and an October video-shoot trial run, the Flaming Lips started playing live shows in their Oklahoma City hometown this past January. At these shows, the band and the members of the audience have all been in the giant inflatable space bubbles that Coyne has been using for years. To date, the Flaming Lips have already played nine sold-out shows at the Criterion in Oklahoma City. Next month, they’ll play another space-bubble show at the same venue, and they’ll do it for a very special reason.