Sun August 20, 2017 11:03 am
Sun August 20, 2017 4:00 pm
Iholdthepain wrote:Rank your Pumpkins shows...
1. 12-1-1996 Dallas, Reunion Arena
Just got back from seeing PJ close their European tour in Portugal. Jetlagged, we witnessed MCIS -era Pumpkins in full force with Matt Walker on drums. This was angry Billy tearing in to scorching versions of songs. They played forvever, left the stage, the house lights came on, people left, we were leaving, they came back onstage...next thing I k ow, I'm crushed right in front of Billy center stage as they continue to flow through lengthy psychedelic renditions of Aeroplane Flies High and Silverfuck! They play for nearly an hour, just jamming until the music finally fizzled down to nothing. A great bootleg exists of this show... So badass!!!
2. August 1994 Dallas Starplex
This was the year of SP headlining Lollapalooza. I don't remember the events too clearly, as I was tripping on Red Sunshine, however... Already a soul-crushing day as Green Day opened the show. That was fun. I remember really being haunted by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds while somewhat freaking out in the lawn. After George Clinton we decided to go for a walk to the second stage where SP randomly showed up and played a short pre-set. I don't remember which songs, just hundreds of screaming gen-xers running straight towards me. Back on the lawn, as the Beastie Boys hit the stage there was a mass wave of humanity rushing the stage. This scared me pretty badly, but BB brought me back. If was all good! When the Pumpkins came on I was drained, exhausted, and sat still on the lawn as the stage lights began to wash across the night sky. Suddenly, screeching and swirling feedback loops rang from the house pa for what seemed like an eternity... Finally melding together into the chords of Rocket... They were off! Again, I don't remember too many specifics of this particular show, but there's great youtube footage of their Lolla-era shows. I do remember freaking out a bit as Bill stopped down the show to berate us fans. He went on a long rant about being a grown man and he doesn't have to take shit from us. Insane memory!
3. 5-12-2000 Dallas Bronco Bowl
This was the night before my wedding, and we actually danced our first dance 'To Sbiela' so there's sentimental value here. Also, Jimmy was back, Melissa replaced Darcy, and we were treated to a very good Machina-era set. It was a great mood, great sound and sightlines, but it was hot as hell inside the whole night. This tour should have been the end of the Pumpkins.
4. November 1997 Texas Motor Speedway
Here, they were opening for the Rolling Stones and sharing the bill with Matchbox 20 and Dave Matthews Band. Fun lineup and I was into it at the time. It was still daylight when the Pumpkins started, but not for long. This was I think a pre-Adore show, but not long before the album came out. There were early renditions of some of the Adore songs. The hilights for me, though were the Batman and Lost Highway soundtrack songs. It was a much different, mellower, and more electronic sound for the band and I dug it! Needless to say it was a very short set.
5. 2006? Red Rocks
I liked Zeitgeist well enough, and I was all excited that SP got back together (albeit with a different guitarist and another different female bassist). Honestly, I thought the new bass player was hot and I didn't stop watching her the entire time. I also didn't think the sound could ever suck at Red Rocks, but it did on this night. I *think* the show might have been good, but the sound constantly swirled in and out with the winds. We weren't that far away from the soundboard either, and the sound was just bad. For the last song I told my wife I'd meet her at the exit. As they started Cherub Rock to end the sbow, I slilnked my way into the front row, which at RR is at the same level as the band. That was kinda strange, but kinda cool. Sound was better down there, too.
Phew... Your turn.
Sun August 20, 2017 7:06 pm
Anders wrote:"Corgan said earlier this year that he planned to release his new solo album sometime in 2017. The Smashing Pumpkins’ original lineup is rumored to reunite for a tour in 2018."
https://www.alternativenation.net/smashing-pumpkins-billy-corgan-makes-awesome-announcement/
Sun August 20, 2017 7:42 pm
Sun August 20, 2017 8:01 pm
Sun August 20, 2017 10:46 pm
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Mon August 21, 2017 8:51 am
Mon August 21, 2017 4:00 pm
Mon August 21, 2017 10:04 pm
tragabigzanda wrote:The grunge tourney compelled me to throw together an SP playlist for a long drive yesterday. I think that Billy's ability to convey different characters with his voice is really something special, like Bowie-level good.
Just listen to Bullet With Butterfly Wings: Within the first several bars, he goes from the detached, emotionless "The world is a vampire..." to the hint of bitterness felt in the line "Betrayed desires..." By the time we're at the pre-chorus ("Even though I know..."), the song's character can't really contain the emotion any more; it's starting to seep out in a seething ooze. And then that chorus blasts, and it's all torture and angst.
He uses his voice so effectively across their discography. Unlike Vedder, Cornell, Cobain, Lanegan, and Staley, who all seemed to bring their real-life personality to the microphone, Corgan's songs, and his vocalizations, offer unique characters that bring his songs to life in a completely different way. Add to that the production flourishes and overall sound, and the SPs are more like NIN to me, in that each song brings me into the world of the singer, makes me occupy a different landscape and set of emotions with each track. Dude is brilliant, even if his public persona is silly and annoying.
Tue August 22, 2017 3:07 pm
Tue August 22, 2017 3:10 pm
Tue August 22, 2017 3:21 pm
Tue August 22, 2017 3:36 pm
Tue August 22, 2017 4:41 pm
Wed August 23, 2017 6:12 am
Wed August 23, 2017 1:04 pm
Thu August 24, 2017 4:25 am
Thu August 24, 2017 4:30 am
Birds in Hell wrote:tragabigzanda wrote:The grunge tourney compelled me to throw together an SP playlist for a long drive yesterday. I think that Billy's ability to convey different characters with his voice is really something special, like Bowie-level good.
Just listen to Bullet With Butterfly Wings: Within the first several bars, he goes from the detached, emotionless "The world is a vampire..." to the hint of bitterness felt in the line "Betrayed desires..." By the time we're at the pre-chorus ("Even though I know..."), the song's character can't really contain the emotion any more; it's starting to seep out in a seething ooze. And then that chorus blasts, and it's all torture and angst.
He uses his voice so effectively across their discography. Unlike Vedder, Cornell, Cobain, Lanegan, and Staley, who all seemed to bring their real-life personality to the microphone, Corgan's songs, and his vocalizations, offer unique characters that bring his songs to life in a completely different way. Add to that the production flourishes and overall sound, and the SPs are more like NIN to me, in that each song brings me into the world of the singer, makes me occupy a different landscape and set of emotions with each track. Dude is brilliant, even if his public persona is silly and annoying.
I have to say, I feel almost totally the opposite of this. The worst thing about post-1994 (or so) Smashing Pumpkins is that I find Billy totally suffocating, it's like having an angst-ridden teenager dumping a wheelbarrow of his weird neuroses over you. I find Cornell, Staley, etc. way more listenable in contrast. I think one of the reasons I still love those first two Pumpkins records are Billy's voice and lyrics aren't pushed to the fore anywhere near as much, they're just some breathy punctuations over beatific guitar explosions. The more confidence he had in his voice, the less I can stand listening to it.
Thu August 24, 2017 5:11 am