By now it’s a fact of life that no matter what your feelings on The Flaming Lips are, the truth remains that they put on one hell of a live show. It’s been that way for a long time now, and if you still aren’t sure, check out any one of the videos online. There is one in particular that stands out amongst them, and that is of the band’s surprise performance during 2006′s South By Southwest. The gig took place at the BBC Showcase that year and would be one of the last times the band would cover Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in a live setting. Up until that point, however, the song had become a staple of their live sets, but for various reasons it has been long cut out of their already over the top shows.

It’s an odd video, shot back stage, which makes it all the more rewarding. Judging by all the over sized balloons passed around, we can see that these guys don’t skimp on the theatrics no matter where they play — although I bet the hamster ball was left out of this one. As for the ringmaster himself, Wayne Coyne gives the audience most of the vocal duties, while Steven Drozd takes over the complex keys and guitar parts. The sound quality of the video is low, but you can still manage to get excited when that pivotal moment in the song is reached and the mandatory head banging ensues. It’s just unavoidable no matter who you are, or where you are.

2009′s SXSW will no doubt have its share of surprises (The Decemberists’ 85-minute set last night, for one), but this performance is at the top of the festival’s long celebrated history. Judging from the video, this must have been an incredible night, though on second thought, I can’t help but wonder just how old that grey suit is. Oh Coyne, you!