On July 30, 1998, The Smashing Pumpkins appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman in New York City to promote the upcoming single release of "Perfect". It was their first appearance on a David Letterman show. While the bulk of the show was taped inside the 457-capacity Ed Sullivan Theater as usual, the band played on a stage erected in the middle of 53rd Street, in front of the Hello Deli. Radio contest winners and Late Show audience members stood in front of the stage, while the general public were restricted to an area about 50 feet back from the stage. The band played five additional songs for those in attendance, although the show was ultimately shut down early by police due to crowd overflow.
David Letterman told the crowd before the performance, "We couldn’t think of a better way, a better reason for tying up traffic on 53rd Street than for a performance from this great rock and roll band, Smashing Pumpkins."
SETLIST:
1. Perfect
2. 1979
3. To Sheila
4. Ava Adore
5. Pug
6. Crestfallen
"Daphne Descends", "Tear", "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" and "Thru the Eyes of Ruby" were on the setlist but not played after the NYPD ended the concert early.
"Perfect" was the only song actually aired on TV, although "Ava Adore", "Pug" and "Crestfallen" aired live on 92.3 WXRK radio.
Close-up photos by Sean Francis
https://spcodex.wiki/The_Smashing_Pumpkins_1998-07-30
On July 30, 1998, The Smashing Pumpkins appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman in New York City to promote the upcoming single release of "Perfect". It was their first appearance on a David Letterman show. While the bulk of the show was taped inside the 457-capacity Ed Sullivan Theater as usual, the band played on a stage erected in the middle of 53rd Street, in front of the Hello Deli. Radio contest winners and Late Show audience members stood in front of the stage, while the general public were restricted to an area about 50 feet back from the stage. The band played five additional songs for those in attendance, although the show was ultimately shut down early by police due to crowd overflow.
David Letterman told the crowd before the performance, "We couldn’t think of a better way, a better reason for tying up traffic on 53rd Street than for a performance from this great rock and roll band, Smashing Pumpkins."
SETLIST:
1. Perfect
2. 1979
3. To Sheila
4. Ava Adore
5. Pug
6. Crestfallen
"Daphne Descends", "Tear", "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" and "Thru the Eyes of Ruby" were on the setlist but not played after the NYPD ended the concert early.
"Perfect" was the only song actually aired on TV, although "Ava Adore", "Pug" and "Crestfallen" aired live on 92.3 WXRK radio.
Close-up photos by Sean Francis
https://spcodex.wiki/The_Smashing_Pumpkins_1998-07-30