NASHVILLE |DATE: JULY 1, 2010
FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/TODD BRODGINSKI/ALEXANDRA GREENBERG
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
PREVIEW SUMMER TOUR IN LOS ANGELES WITH
PACKED VIPER ROOM GIG ON SUNSET STRIP
(Pictured, from left: Nicole Fiorentino, Billy Corgan, Mike Byrne, Jeff Schroeder)
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS gave fans a taste of what to expect on their summer tour–which kicks off Tuesday 7/6 in Cleveland–last night (6/30) in Los Angeles with a nearly 90-minute sold-out and critically acclaimed show at the Viper Room. Fans who missed this will have an opportunity to catch the band when they return to Los Angeles Saturday, August 28 to headline and close down Sunset Blvd. for the final performance at the third Sunset Strip Music Festival.
“Exhilarating” and “ferocious” are among the adjectives used by writers who were there, as frontman/singer/guitarist BILLY CORGAN, guitarist JEFF SCHROEDER, drummer MIKE BYRNE and new bassist NICOLE FIORENTINO tore through new songs and the band’s storied catalog.
Here are some observations from last night:
"…exhilarating performance…The frontman and guitarist Jeff Schroeder–who besides Corgan is the only holdover from the Pumpkins' 20th anniversary tour in 2008–engaged in dueling pyrotechnics on ‘Ava Adore’ and the new ‘Song for a Son.’ New bassist Nicole Fiorentino's thick lines stood out in ‘Ava Adore’ and the intro to the metal marvel ‘United States.’ And Jimmy Chamberlin's replacement on drums, wunderkind Mike Byrne, was nothing short of wild child all evening…With the likes of Perry Farrell and Matt Sorum watching from the VIP tables, Corgan was mostly smiles and shredding on this night. He wedged the line ‘Oh, California, look what you've done to me’ into ‘Owata’; he seemed to delight in the unholy crunch of ‘Cherub Rock’; and he put more blood in the opening line of ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ than three vampire movies combined. The new material–the Pumpkins played three of the four songs on the new EP, ‘Teargarden by Kaleidyscope Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor’–fit in seamlessly with the old…"
Kevin Bronson, Spin.com
"Opening with the new 'Astral Planes,' the Pumpkins's new lineup showed it may be the best since the original version in the '90s made the band icons of the alternative scene. The musical interaction between the four was excellent, breathing new energy into songs like 'Ava Adore,' 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' and a ferocious 'United States,' as well as a crunching 'Cherub Rock' that had the Viper Room insane. But just as importantly, Corgan seemed to be having a great time with his new band, proving downright amiable at times."
Steve Baltin, AOL.com “Spinner”
"Their live show is one of the reasons The Pumpkins remain one of the greatest bands of all time proudly brandishing a sound and catalog that's etched their place alongside Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd in the pantheon. The Viper Room show solidified their legacy even further…Corgan's poignant lyrics took center stage and the psychedelic propulsion showed a band that's raw, real and ready to take the world over—again. They started that road to domination here in The Viper Room, and those lucky enough to see it won't ever forget it."
Rick Florino, Artistdirect.com
In late May the Pumpkins released the four-song TEARGARDEN BY KALEIDYSCOPE VOL.1: SONGS FOR A SAILOR EP (Martha’s Music/Rocket Science Ventures). This is the first of an eventual 11 specially packaged EPs–taken from the in-progress 44-song work TEARGARDEN BY KALEIDYSCOPE–to be sold in record stores. Notably, all the music is being is released online, for free, with no strings attached.
The group’s tour schedule includes an array of headlining U.S. dates including a July 26 New York City headlining show for Spin magazine’s SPIN25 series and two festivals in Japan.
DATE CITY VENUE
Tue 7/6 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
Thu 7/8 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room
Fri 7/9 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
Sat 7/10 Louisville, KY Forecastle Festival
Mon 7/12 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
Tue 7/13 Richmond, VA The National
Thu 7/15 Norfolk, VA The Norva
Fri 7/16 Charlotte, NC Fillmore
Sat 7/17 Charleston, SC Music Farm
Mon 7/19 Orlando, FL House of Blues
Tue 7/20 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution
Wed 7/21 Tampa, FL Ritz
Fri 7/23 Knoxville, TN Valarium
Sat 7/24 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls Theatre
Mon 7/26 New York, NY Terminal 5
Thu 8/5 Singapore Singfest
Sat 8/7 Tokyo Marine Stadium / Messe
Sun 8/8 Osaka Maishima / Summer Sonic
Sat 8/14 Seoul, Korea Chamsil Gymnasium
Sat 8/28 Los Angeles, CA Sunset Strip Music Festival
Viper Room set list:
1. Astral Planes
2. Ava Adore
3. Hummer
4. As Rome Burns
5. A Song for a Son
6. Bleeding the Orchid
7. Stand Inside Your Love
8. Bullet With Butterfly Wings
9. Widow Wake My Mind
10. Perfect
11. Owata
12. Cherub Rock
13. That's the Way (My Love Is)
14. United States
15. Love Is the Sweetest Thing [solo ukulele]
About THE SMASHING PUMPKINS:
The Smashing Pumpkins have created one of the most acclaimed bodies of work in musical history and sold over 30 million albums. Formed in Chicago in 1988, they released Gish, their influential (and platinum) debut in 1991, which was followed by more platinum and multi-platinum albums including the nine-time platinum Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness and the four-time platinum Siamese Dream as well as the platinum certified 1998 album Adore. The pivotal group’s many hits defined the alternative music era and continue to resonate on modern rock radio, influencing a whole new generation. The Pumpkins returned in 2007 with their gold-certified and acclaimed sixth album Zeitgeist, which entered the charts at Number 2 in the U.S. and in the Top Ten internationally. Since their triumphant return to the stage in 2007, the Pumpkins have headlined some of the biggest events around the globe including the Reading Festival, Rock Am Ring, and the V fest. In 2008, the band was inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk. Their first post-major label release was the song “Superchrist,” issued via the Guitar Center CD Fresh Cuts Vol. 2. They subsequently recorded the song–the modern rock hit–“G.L.O.W.” for the Guitar Hero® World Tour game, marking the first time a band has recorded a new song exclusively for the franchise. In November 2008, the band released their first live DVD, If All Goes Wrong. In December 2009 The Smashing Pumpkins began releasing Teargarden By Kaleidyscope, a 44-song work with songs being released online one at a time for free (4-song physical EPs will be made available as the songs are released). The group’s BILLY CORGAN has said the new music “harkens back to the original psychedelic roots of The Smashing Pumpkins; atmospheric, melodic, heavy, and pretty.”
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