The June 27 road trip will be live-streamed as part of MTV’s O Music Awards. An announcement on the O Music Awards’ website points out that the endeavor is also significant for being the world’s first 24-hour live-streamed awards show.
So far, only the first and last destinations on the Lips’ journey have been announced. The fun starts in Memphis and the last city on the route is New Orleans.
The Lips plan to collaborate with a bunch of different acts, which O Music Awards promises will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Frontman Wayne Coyne tweeted about challenging the world record, writing that he was “talkin bout doin a show with Edward Sharpe a show with Neon Indian a show with Phantogram,Ke$ha, Grimes..trying to get Lightning Bolt!”
He said the performances would be held “in weird little places,” adding “Hell Yesssss!!! I think New Fumes, Linear Downfall and Stardeath and White Dwarfs!”
Coyne told MTV that while he won’t be behind the wheel during the tour, he’ll be “commandeering the Magical Mystery Merry Prankster bus.”
“I’ve accepted the attempt at breaking the world record of performing eight shows in 24 hours. And I’ve explained to the music freaks at MTV, VH1 and CMT that I am not a host. ... But I always liked the way Jerry Lewis would get all sweaty toward the end of his yearly telethon. To play and sing Flaming Lips songs at eight in the morning, well ... I’m open to new experiences.”
MTV describes the O Music Awards as “dedicated to honoring achievements in the digital music realm – as well as the WTF?! web culture that runs throughout.” Coyne is nominated in the category of “the most extreme fan outreach” and the band is up for the digital genius award.
Jay-Z earned the Guinness World Record for most live concerts in 24 hours (multiple cities) in 2006 when he played seven gigs in support of his album Kingdom Come. The rapper’s route took him to Atlanta; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Chicago; Los Angeles and Las Vegas.