Flaming Lips Enlist Grace Potter, Neon Indian In O Music Awards Record Attempt

Band is aiming to top Jay-Z's live concert record during the June 27 O Music Awards live stream.
By Gil Kaufman

The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

It takes a village to topple a record. That seems to be the thinking behind the Flaming Lips' efforts to gather an army of musical cohorts to help them take aim at Jay-Z's record for the most live concerts in 24 hours.

As part of a record attempt that will take place over 24 hours during the June 27 O Music Awards, the Lips will try to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records by playing shows in eight different cities.

We can now reveal that they will get some support from an eclectic group of musicians that includes festival favorites Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, modern bluesman Gary Clark Jr., country singer Hunter Hayes, and indie rock acts Givers, New Fumes, Neon Indian, and Grimes.

Beginning June 27, the O Music Awards will play out across all of MTV's screens and linear networks in the form of the world's first 24-hour award-show live stream via a historic and hectic bus ride through the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of rock and roll. Two-time O Music Award nominees and multiple Grammy winners Flaming Lips will board a vintage tour bus named Endeavor and zigzag across the region in an attempt to break the world record currently held by Jay-Z for the most live concerts in 24 hours.

More support acts will be named soon, and each will play a full set before making way for the Lips to take the stage for their mini-sets with unique collaborations and special guests. Tickets for the shows go on sale Thursday (June 7) and can be purchased through the individual venues. Partial proceeds from the show will be donated to VH1's Save the Music Foundation. Also, the entire show will be streamed live on OMusicAwards.com and accessible on all platforms including mobile and tablets.

"I don't remember if I was asked or if I volunteered. ... But I've accepted the job of not driving but commandeering the Magical Mystery Merry Prankster bus," Lips frontman Wayne Coyne told MTV News. "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."

During the 24-hour live stream, 24 awards will be presented to winners. Fans can vote now up until the show via the O Music Awards website in a wide assortment of categories that include Must Follow Artist on Twitter, Best Online Concert Experience, Most Adorable Viral Star, Fan Army FTW, Best Music App and Digital Genius Award. Nearly 10 million votes have been cast since voting kicked off on May 23.

You never know what's going to happen on the live stream, where the Lips will be constantly "on," as cameras follow them on the bus, on the stage and everywhere in between. Along the way, the band will meet up with fans and presenters who will dole out awards and, of course, deal with all the pitfalls and unexpected detours that a multi-state road trip entails — flat tires, stops at musical monuments, and perhaps the occasional music-making special guests and hitchhikers.

The day before the big show, June 26, the Lips will release a physical version of The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends, the previously digital-only album featuring unique collaborations with Yoko Ono, Nick Cave, Bon Iver, Ke$ha and an exclusive new track recorded with Ghostland Observatory's Aaron Behrens.

The Flaming Lips O Music Awards itinerary:

» 6/27 - Memphis, TN @ Handy Park (New Fumes)
» 6/27- Clarksdale, MS @ Ground Zero Blues Club (Gary Clark Jr.)
» 6/27 - Oxford, MS @ The Lyric (Grace Potter and the Nocturnals)
» 6/28 - Jackson, MS @ Duling Hall (Neon Indian)
» 6/28 - Hattiesburg, MS @ Benny's Boom Boom Room (Hunter Hayes)
» 6/28 - Biloxi, MS @ Hard Rock Casino (TBD)
» 6/28 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Varsity (Givers) » 6/28 - New Orleans, LA @ TBD (Grimes)

The full list of nominees can be seen over on the O Music Awards official site. Additional performers and presenters for the June 27 show will be announced in the coming weeks.

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