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After spending 24 hours on the road and playing 8 shows in 8 different cities, the Flaming Lips are Guinness World Record holders.
The band broke the previous record of 7 live performances in 24 hours, held by Jay-Z, with a sold out show at the House of Blues in New Orleans, LA. The tour began evening of Wednesday, June 27 in Memphis, TN and stretched overnight, with performances in the middle of the night and early in the morning in towns across Mississippi.
Though by mid-afternoon on Thursday it looked as though there was a chance they might not achieve their goal, they eventually broke the record with 20 minutes to spare, finishing their final set around 6:10 P.M. CDT. Representatives from the Guinness World Records were on hand to deliver the award to the band. Though officially finished with their task, they performed a full hour afterwards to the ecstatic crowd, which included a group of 40 fans who rented a bus and attended all 8 shows.
The tour was part of MTV's O Music Awards, an event that honors the intersection of music, tech, and web culture. In addition to livestreaming all the performances, MTV broadcast a reality show from the bus with Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne as well as announcing the awards winners from the event headquarters in New Orleans.