The Smashing Pumpkins

[Krazy]

How did Billy sound?

”really, really good” according to @Shadaloo . There’s a link up top too, probably a bunch of vids on the ole YouTube by now.

[neorev]

The seating ruins it for me. Especially the fact watching the videos and seeing that no one actually stood up ever. I've been to seating events, but people still stand up.

I could do without the seats.

Also, some of the video projections I've seen are quite cringe worthy. Billy's Shakespeare moment. That atrocious Pope Billy statue being carried around by some horror monk looking dudes. The Mark McGrath carnival talker moments. I can do without the theatrics. Find them embarrassing. Many were heavily Billy-centric. Heard he changes costumes several times as well. I dunno, for me, just some decent lighting and some minor visual elements with the band would be better. Also, less cover songs.

The one thing I'll give them, they actually sound good even if Jack and Jeff are cardboard cutouts placed on stage. But that's not enough to drop the kinda money they're asking for on tickets. The Pumpkins were never about Broadway theatrics, it was just about the music. Plus I have no clue wbat Billy was thinking with Jack on bass. Melissa Auf De Maur or Nicole Fiorentino would have been much better. Someone with presence and energy to fill that other side of the stage cuz Jack and Jeff aren't really that engaging live.

One professional review said it best, it's like two different bands battling each other. He thought the moments that relied less on theatrics and visuals were the best and most engaging.

[caca]

The seating ruins it for me. Especially the fact watching the videos and seeing that no one actually stood up ever.

Ummm... I was physically there (dead center about 23 rows back) in the floor seats and pretty much everyone to the left, right, and front of me was standing (there was a dude in the row right in front of me that sat in several five-minute intervals, but he was easily 350+ lbs). I can’t vouch for the rest of the people behind me, but I can assure you that “no one actually stood up ever” isn’t remotely true.

[dvdglss]

damn... i really wanna go to the Atlanta show now... why am i so poor ;_;

[Shadaloo]

oh my god

[synyster]

Just got back in town and had to post a few comments about the Houston show. First off, the show was absolutely incredible. I was attending with a professional sound engineer and he was blown away by the sound quality and mixing they were doing. Billy's guitar tone sounded like you stepped back into the studio for Siamese Dream. I also never realized how many leads he plays "Billy can shred"! Some of the Leads + feedback/fuzz he was pulling off sounded album quality from their 90's era sound they were famous for. James made a funny comment about how he has been working on his patches to get this songs right live and how they were still working the kinks out. Thirty Three live was so flawless and warm that is about ripped my heart out. If you are even thinking about going to this show... don't miss it. Don't look at the setlist if you can resist ;-)

Expectations going in were ok, came out with a top 10 show for me.

[october_midnight]

Motherfucker lol. I'm hearing nothing but solid reviews for this tour.

[Kodiak33]

I saw them in 2000 and in 2015, Corgan can rip it up. He's always been an underrated guitarist.

[Uraki14]

I saw them on Friday night here in Nashville and I have to say I absolutely loved it. The only thing I will gripe about is the cover songs. I will never understand Billy's need to put those songs in the setlist when he has such a broad discography to choose from. Only time I even sat during the whole show was Stairway to Heaven. I was also hoping that I would be able to tell more that there were 3 guitars, but the only song I felt like I actually heard any real benefit from was the outro on Porcelina. It seemed like a lot of people didn't even know who James was which was so bizarre to me. If I had to pick a fave moment it was either Soma or Try Try Try.

[eversonpoe]

thanks to my friend alex, i just added all these beauties to my collection (for free!!!)

gish (1994 repress)
siamese dream (original 1993 pressing)
mellon collie and the infinite sadness (original 1995 pressing in unique case)
bullet with butterfly wings
1979

[dvdglss]

its hilarious that people forgot Billy can FUCKING WRECK on the guitar... kids these fuckin' days

/oldmanrant

[armogi]

its hilarious that people forgot Billy can FUCKING WRECK on the guitar... kids these fuckin' days

/oldmanrant

it's kinda nice to finally see some love for this band, it's been pretty negative lately but it seems the naysayers are being proven wrong, now hoping this lasts longer because it's a shame with such a legacy.

[synyster]

I was skeptical of a stadium tour until 10 min into the show... Nostalgia factor was through the roof and most importantly it didn't feel fake or forced. The sound, the eccentric billy, songs like Soma and Drown and seeing James up there with him. It all just came together. I have never had a show make it feel like I was hearing those songs again for the first time. That's hard to pull off

[october_midnight]

Some good full show videos popping up on YouTube at least...

[Calla lily]

I went to the Tampa show last night and it was great. Of the 6 times I've seen them, this was probably the top for me.

[implanted_microchip]

The best parts of this show were great and the worst parts were ... well, Stairway. There were a lot of empty seats and since I was center high up I couldn’t ignore it, the upper sections were so weird to be in since they were half-full and that led to a lot of chatter. The gaps between songs due to the production killed a lot of flow and energy and when the stageshow worked, it worked so well, but at other times it felt like Billy’s Spinal Tap. James had a surprising amount of banter and some songs stuck out as especially strong with this arrangement (Soma, Beginning is the End, Porcelina, Everlasting Gaze).

There really shouldn’t be more than one cover in the set a night and having Stairway so close to their cover of Landslide (which I’ve never liked) in the set bogged it down hard, there are so many other songs that could have been there.

At its best this show felt like a full embrace and celebration of the unique antique gothic artsy vibe that the band had during that classic run and those moments were very special and made it feel worth it. I feel like at 3 hours though they really should have less pauses between songs and a better flow in the set because it got exhausting at times and you could sense people getting restless. I’ve never seen a show where the ahdudience around me behaved so casually and that vibe that a show had of being a special thing wasn’t in the air (at least in my section) which sucked, this tour should feel like a special event but instead the energy around me gave off a feel of indifference. I couldn’t believe how many seats never got filled, they probably could have upgraded the entire upper bowl if they’d wanted to and I probably could have snuck down pretty easily. It was way too relaxed feeling for me.

Disarm was gutwrenching and a stunning opening and was so dark and overwhelming that it helped sort of balance out the silliness of a lot of the show. I’ve never seen less traffic getting in and out, I one time waited a full hour in line at the Amalie Arena to get in and this took me maybe one minute to get inside. That half-empty vibe felt sad and surreal and killed a lot of the fun for me, the floor looked filled in so I’m sure it was better there but geez. I still think doing this as a giant arena tour was a poor decision. If this was a packed theatre run it’d be a whole other time.

[Shadaloo]

2 EP plan has been meshed together to a single LP according to an Instagram Q and A. Nice to know Billy would like to work with Butch Vig again.

My concert's in a week and a half. Startin' to get antsy.

[neorev]

2 EP plan has been meshed together to a single LP according to an Instagram Q and A. Nice to know Billy would like to work with Butch Vig again.

My concert's in a week and a half. Startin' to get antsy.

Get Butch Vig in to help rerecord and completely remix this Rick Rubin album, Billy

[versusreality]

tickets are as low as 7 bucks at the gig close to me, and there's a ton available. for that cheap, I might just go. I'm glad everyone is enjoying themselves. I'm hearing that a lot of the shows are half empty and there's a lot of talking and people leaving early. some say "well it's because the show is so long" but then again I saw the Cure for nearly 4 hours twice and no one was leaving early.

[synyster]

tickets are as low as 7 bucks at the gig close to me, and there's a ton available. for that cheap, I might just go. I'm glad everyone is enjoying themselves. I'm hearing that a lot of the shows are half empty and there's a lot of talking and people leaving early. some say "well it's because the show is so long" but then again I saw the Cure for nearly 4 hours twice and no one was leaving early.

I think that comes with low ticket prices. Friends take friends that are not mega fans because it's damn cheap. People around me were waiting for Tonight Tonight and then just hung around. They are stuck in that bad spot of instantly selling out a 2k seat place and not filling an Arena. Big fans were going crazy with the setlist. Go to the show!!

[Failure]

Saw the Pumpkins in Philly on Saturday night. Nobody makes things harder on their fans than Billy Corgan, but you can't deny that he "has the songs". The show was a goddamn embarrassment of riches. From Siva off Gish to Soma off Siamese Dream to Porcelina off MCATIS to For Martha off Adore to Drown (which apparently wasn't good enough for any of their LP's). Name me another band (from this or any generation) that has a more dynamic range and high-level of output. I am not suggesting that the Pumpkins are the greatest band of all time. I connect a bit more to Trent's work, I have more fun at QOTSA shows, Radiohead have taken more chances, etc. But peak period Pumpkins (1993-1998) is tough to beat.

Billy is a guitar virtuoso; probably the single most underrated player I can think of. Jimmy is literally God with drumsticks and Iha is a legend in his own right. So basically, if you can overlook the fact that Billy cruises around the stage wearing a black dress and a pope hat, then you must check out this tour. Really the only complaint is around the closing tune. It wouldn't usually bother me to cover a Disney song....but to play that instead of Geek USA, Silverfuck, or Thru The Eyes Of Ruby is sort of a tragedy.

[halo eighteen]

Last week, there was still about 2/3rds of the Detroit venue still for sale, with entire lower bowl sections completely unsold. Now, most of the venue is sold out. That's INCREDIBLY fishy, unless the reports of this tour being good are actually causing people to buy tickets by the thousands.

[Kodiak33]

Last week, there was still about 2/3rds of the Detroit venue still for sale, with entire lower bowl sections completely unsold. Now, most of the venue is sold out. That's INCREDIBLY fishy, unless the reports of this tour being good are actually causing people to buy tickets by the thousands.

They've had some promotions with 4 for $100 for tickets, so maybe that's contributed a bit.

[Shadaloo]

People are saying how Billy's guitar work is some of the most inspired and awesome it's been in years and years, how it's ranking really highly on longtime fans' lists of best shows ever, the band's on fire...

I don't know if this is the result of a fire under BC's ass for having something to prove again, or because James is back but I really couldn't be happier.

I'm trying not to watch footage to go in fresh next week but holy fuck it's hard

[sonic_discord]

They've had some promotions with 4 for $100 for tickets, so maybe that's contributed a bit.

Wow. Kinda makes one wonder if they're going to end up taking a hit from this tour, financially speaking. Regardless, I'm pretty pumped to see this show with my wife on our first wedding anniversary. I agree that it would be nice to have less covers (I'd like them to keep Landslide, but toss out Stairway and the Dumbo song) and instead play something like Geek USA, Bodies, or I Am One. But still, that's an awesome setlist, so I feel like I can't complain too much!

[frankie teardrop]

some news about the 30th anniversary concert this thursday in NJ:
https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/...rsary-concert/

[halo eighteen]

Mark McGrath is definitely the first name that comes to mind of people I want guesting at a Pumpkins gig, or any band I like. JFC.

[Failure]

If Courtney can still "sing", it would be cool to hear some of the Celebrity Skin tunes that Billy wrote (Malibu, Petals, etc.). As far as Chino, I see him crushing Eye or The End Is The Beginning Is The End. His vocals could fit nicely into that underrated 1997, Pre-Adore/Post-MCATIS era of the Pumpkins.

[burninglard]

Interesting to hear about the plans for the 30th anniversary show. I am seriously considering catching the Oakland or Sacramento show based on everyone’s reviews so far. My 1st concert ever was the Pumpkins in 1996 when I was 10. Early Xmas present from my mom. It was even cool seeing Garbage open for them.

[neorev]

This 30th anniversary show sounds lame and I'm a big Chino/Deftones fan. BUT, this show and tour is meant to be about the Pumpkins and the original band albums. We already lost possible tracks in the set with these crappy cover songs, now we're gonna have a bunch of guests who have nothing to do with the band come out and perform. If Billy really wanted to celebrate the band with guests, bring out people who have actually been a part of the band throughout its run. These guests seem random as hell and honestly can do without Courtney Love.