THE SMASHING PUMPKINS TO BOOKEND THE WEEK OF JULY 9 ON ‘THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN’ WITH PERFORMANCES ON JULY 9 AND

DATE:   JUNE 18, 2007
FROM:  MITCH SCHNEIDER/TODD BRODGINSKI/ALEXANDRA GREENBERG

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS will make their first televised performance since 2000 when they bookend the week of July 9th on “The Late Show with David Letterman” by performing Monday, July 9 and Friday, July 13.  These appearances coincide with the July 10 release of ZEITGEIST, the band’s much-anticipated sixth album and first of new material since 2000.

ZEITGEIST (Martha’s Music/Reprise) features the first single “Tarantula,” now positioned at #3 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and #10 on the publication’s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart after arriving at radio only a few weeks ago.  ZEITGEIST represents a powerful rebirth and reaffirmation of THE SMASHING PUMPKINS by two of its key members, main singer-songwriter and guitarist Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.  

The band has just wrapped almost a month’s worth of overseas dates where they alternated festival headlining performances with their own headlining shows.  The Europe and UK leg began with an intimate sold-out show at the historic, elegantly appointed Grand Rex in Paris (May 22) and wrapped with another sold-out small venue gig at Sheperds Bush Empire in London (June 19).  At these concerts, Billy and Jimmy welcomed Jeff Schroeder (guitar) and Ginger Reyes (bass) to the line-up, which is supported by keyboardist Lisa Harriton.

In a review of the band’s performance at the Grand Rex (which marked their first gig since 2000), England’s NME cited the show’s “thrilling unpredictability,” as the band mixed up “a selection of stone cold classics and fan pleasing rarities with a raft of new songs… a punchy ‘Doomsday Clock’ and the rollicking one-two of ‘Starz’ and new single ‘Tarantula’…” Elsewhere, Kerrang! called the band “truly awe-inspiring,” further noting: “the splendour of ‘Tonight Tonight,’ the majesty of ‘Cherub Rock,’ the menace of ‘Zero’ not so much saying how great The Smashing Pumpkins once were but proving how stunning they still are.”

Next up for the Pumpkins: a sold-out nine-show residency at the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC and a sold-out 11-show run at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco (*see dates below).  At these very special and intimate residencies, the band will vary set lists from night to night. They’ll perform songs from ZEITGEIST and Pumpkins classics plus retool songs that didn’t make it onto ZEITGEIST and even offer tunes written the day of the show. The shows will give fans a unique opportunity to see the Pumpkins inside the process of creation and operating in the spur of the moment.  The band will be taking chances in the hope of taking fans, and their music, to new places.   

The Pumpkins’ itinerary includes a special performance at Live Earth on July 7 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford NJ as well as headlining slots at the two Virgin Festivals in North America:  August 5 at Pimlico Park in Washington, D.C. and September 8 at Toronto Island Park in Canada.  Following the D.C. performance, the band will return overseas to headline festivals in Belgium, England, Greece and Turkey.

Catch up with the band at www.smashingpumpkins.com and www.myspace.com/smashingpumpkins.

 

 

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS TO BOOKEND THE WEEK OF JULY 9 ON ‘THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN’ WITH PERFORMANCES ON JULY 9 AND 13 BAND TO UNVEIL MATERIAL FROM THE JULY 10 RELEASE ‘ZEITGEIST’ THAT FEATURES THE TOP FIVE MODERN ROCK HIT ‘TARANTULA’