Almost seven years after its members split, the Smashing
Pumpkins reunited last night for a rare club gig at Paris’ Grand Rex. The relatively intimate
gig, which took place in front of 2,000 fans, marks the group’s first
performance since December 2, 2000. The evening opened with a new song, “United States,”
which will be featured on the group’s forthcoming album, Zeitgeist. Immediately after debuting “United States,” the group dipped
into its back catalogue, dusting off its early hit “Today,” from the seminal
alt-rock album Siamese Dream. The
remainder of the group’s three-hour gig featured a mix of new songs and classic
material, including favorites from the group’s heyday like “Zero,” “Hummer,”
“Cherub Rock,” “1979” and "Disarm." The gig also featured a short
acoustic set, which included selections such as “To Sheila.” In total, the
quintet played 29 songs and offered two separate encores.
Though the Smashing Pumpkins seem recharged, the quintet touring
this summer only features two members of the group’s classic lineup: guitarist/frontman
Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Before reviving the Smashing
Pumpkins name, the pair spent time together in the post-grunge group Zwan. The
reformed Smashing Pumpkins also includes guitarist Jeff Schroeder, bassist
Ginger Reyes and touring keyboardist Lisa Harriton.
The Smashing Pumpkins will headline a number of major
European festivals this summer, beginning May 28 at Holland's
Pinkpop festival and continuing through a June 17 date at Switzerland's
Greenfield Festival. The group will also headline a number of European events
in late-August and early-September, after appearing at East Rutherford, NJ’s
Live Earth and Washington, DC’s
Virgin Festival. As a warm-up, the group has announced two sets of residency
gigs in the U.S.: nine nights
at Asheville, NC’s
Orange Peel (June 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30 and July 2, 3, and 5) and 11 shows at San Francisco’s Fillmore
(July 15, 16, 18, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 30 and 31 and August 1). According to the
band’s management, Corgan and Chamberlin will debut a number of new songs from
the Zeitgeist which did not make the
album’s final cut throughout their tour.
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