Waitin' For A Superman - Flaming Lips Live in France 1999

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The fall of 1999 was a turning point in The Flaming Lips career - the exact moment the initial praise for The Soft Bulletin started to perpetuate itself (particuliar in the British press) leading to the band's redefined repute and year-end acclaim that literally altered their path. This rarely seen video from French TV captures them in the dead middle of this transition.

In September 1999 The Flaming Lips returned home from a European summer festival tour (i.e. Reading, Lowlands and Pukkelpop) and prepared for further promotion for "The Soft Bulletin" overseas - particuliarly Brittain. Key to this was the release of "Waitin For A Superman" as a UK single on November 8th, and the British tour that started two days later.

Back in Oklahoma Wayne, Steven, George (Salisbury) and Bradley (Beesley) filmed a music video for "Superman" (Michael was away on vacation) and initially finished editing on September 23rd (though further cuts ensued in October when they were informed the original version had too much blood in it to be played on TV).

On October 23rd they were back in London where they recorded a heavily bootlegged free afternoon show at The Astoria - broadcasted live on Fuji TV in anticipation of their December '99 Japanese tour. Likewise, in anticipation of the British tour in mid-November (and "Superman" single release), they played a show for Radio 1's Sound City on the 25th, recorded "Superman" for "Later..." the following week and did various interviews, including a major feature for NME.

In between these advance promotional performances and the British tour they took a side trip to France to play four concerts and this French TV performance. As seen in this video, they put the recently finished "Superman" video to use as their backdrop.

All the promotions paid off: opening night of the British tour (Nov 10 at London's Forum was the biggest headling show the band had played to date (2200 people) - the (very 1999) guest list included Blur, Fatboy Slim, Suede, Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze - and soon after Soft Bulletin was named NME album of the year (also in the UK, it was #6 in Mojo's Best of 1999).

Meanwhile back in the states NPR featured the band on November 1st and HBO aired an episode of "Reverb" with The Flaming Lips on November 9th - though Wayne's infamous interview of Brian Wilson filmed for the show was edited out. Though still regulaly regarded as one-(quasi)-hit wonder alt-rock has-beens in their homeland, the tides were changing as 1999 drew to a close...
...The Soft Bulletin was in CMJ and Spin's top ten albums of 1999 lists.

UK Promos
October 21 - Wayne on XFM - Sound Republic
October 23 - London - Astoria - Japanese TV live broadcast
October 25 - Liverpool - L2 - Radio 1's Sound City
November 2 - London - Jool Holland "Later..." (aired November 6 on BBC2, also featured Paul McCartney and others)

French Tour
Nov 5 - Lille - Aeronuf
Nov 6 - Paris - Ciqale
Nov 7 - Nantes - Olympic
Nov 8 - Toulouse - Bikini
plus the TV performance in this video, exact date unknown

UK Tour (with Spectrum supporting)
Nov 10 - London - The Forum
Nov 11 - Wolverhampton - Wulfrun Hall
Nov 12 - Bristol - University
Nov 13 - Nottingham - Rock City
Nov 14 - Sheffield - Leadmill
Nov 15 - Manchester - University Debating hall
Nov 16 - Portsmouth - Pyramid Centre

Japan
Dec 10 - Tokyo - Liquid Room
Dec 11 - Tokyo - Liquid Room
Dec 12 - Nagoya - Club Quattro
Dec 13 - Osako - Bayside Jenny

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• Ivins
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• Drozd
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[BrokenChair88]

Why is the pitch weird? It sounds like the song is being played through an ice cream truck.

[psychexfutureheart]

@BrokenChair88 The pitch is altered for the same reason the right side of the video is distorted - it was copied from an old tape that has warped it somewhat...

[Tracebebo]

So the video for Waitin' For a Superman hasn't always been the same video?

[psychexfutureheart]

@Tracebebo My understanding is the official music video has always been the same, but there's different edits of it (with more and less blood - as detailed in the d-box).

[Tracebebo]

@psychexfutureheart Oh, I see. But, what I was actually talking about was the video for the projection if they played it live. Because, I know they played it at the first show in March 1999 at Trees, Dallas, TX.

[psychexfutureheart]

@Tracebebo Oh you mean the live backing video…

I'm not sure what they used in spring 1999 but it couldn't be the park footage. It might've been the circles used in November on Jools Holland (look it up, it's on youtube).

Recently they play it with the view from the camera on WC mic on screen. Off the of my head I'm pretty sure most all times from 2000-2010 they played Superman in concert the music video footage was on the backing screen.

You raise a good question about earlier dates…

[aggro99]

Incredible band.I was lucky enough to have stumbled into the small tent at reading festival in the summer of '99 and witness something amazing - blood capsules,puppets,massive gongs,incredible backdrops.incredible music.i didnt blink in over an hour. Didnt go to another gig for three years because i knew that nothing could compare to that night.life changing.

[arvidlizell]

Awesome song, should be more famous!

[roswel42]

So this was the Flaming Lips before they were popular enough to do whatever they want on stage.

[baillou2]

Well, here's one more view plus a comment.

Long live the LIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luck be with me I might see them tomorrow.