James Stone

When I was booked up for a trip to New York I was understandably excited. It's a magical city with hundreds of things to do and see. But my excitement was cranked up a notch when I noticed one of my favourite bands, the Flaming Lips, were going to be playing while I was out there. I quickly checked out an international ticketing site and booked up two tickets; one for me and one for my mate. If you'd like to book cheap tickets to New York use UK Net Guide's Online Flight Search!

The gig was on the fourth day of our trip and I have to admit that going to a gig in a foreign city is somehow far more exciting than seeing the same band in Hammersmith or Brixton. Perhaps it was the fact that I didn't know how US audiences reacted to bands (they clap and cheer in the cinema for instance). I think it was more that I'd never been to the city before, let alone the venue.

When we arrived at the venue I noticed that the whole thing cranked up the commercialisation just a little bit. There seemed to be more corporate cups and every advert was slightly less subtle than in the UK. Granted, Brixton Academy is named after a popular larger, but I still manage to ignore that fact. Not so in the states. People were also seriously pumped up for the gig, they were singing in the queue and going completely crazy before they'd even had a beer. Again, this only tends to happen in the UK inside the venue and after the actual gig.

Fittingly, the Flaming Lips are also crazy. They're perhaps the most innovative band to have appeared in the last 20 years and there music is absorbing to say the least. The set, when I look back on it, seemed to blur into one as Wayne Coyne unleashed classic hit after classic hit. It really was a phenomenal show.

I'd recommend seeing a gig next time you're on holiday. Just nipping to the local venue and seeing what's on can give you a cool night out in a city that you're unfamiliar with. It can be tempting to head to a big city, do the tourist things during the day and then have a later dinner and crash out. I prefer seeing what the city's like at night and checking out the local scene. In cities like New York, you can't go wrong.