An anniversary tour without 2 of the original members is not really much of a reunion. The only thing “magical” about the tour would be if James Iha and D’Arcy suddenly appeared on stage and performed the songs with Mr. Melon-head Corgan.

really, why is everyone so hung up on the two sidemen, who were the worst part of the original band, they didn’t even play on most of the albums,
get over your 90’s nostalgia, the “today” video was great but really get over it.

A few months ago there was an article featuring crybaby Corgan complaining how record companies just don’t get Smashing Pumpkins. He was in awe when on executive responded to Corgan’s pitch by saying, “What makes this any different than the last Zwan record.” I.E. “Zwan sucks and so do you.”

At this point Corgan is simply tarnishing his legacy and that of Smashing Pumpkins. Time to hang up the guitar, Billy.

I’m not a diehard fan or anything, but come on – Corgan and the drummer ARE Smashing Pumpkins.

Corgan wrote and played everything on the albums, except the drums.

People whining about James and Darcy not being on it are just searching for something to bitch about. Lighten up!

Billy Corgan maybe dominated the Pumpkins’ album tracks by himself, but when performing LIVE, as “Smashing Pumpkins”, you really need all four original members.

Corgan has been worthless since Iha and D’Arcy left the band. Zwan? The Future Embrace? Zeitgeist? Maybe their role was as a creative filter saying things like, “Um, Billy, that’s really bad”.

Really, why reform Smashing Pumpkins anyway? Why not continue a new chapter? Do something new? If anybody is *attempting* to relive the 90’s its Corgan.

Why call nine inch nails, nine inch nails when they change lineups all the time? Why call Kiss, Kiss with Ace Freely gone? i.e. all your arguments are lame.

Get your facts straight BLah Blah Blah…Trent Reznor is Nine Inch Nails. I agree with your Ace comment though, Kiss is not the same..At the end of the day I agree with the millions that think this is a Zwan reunion and not a SP revival.

to the idiot who told bily corgan to hang up his guitar.. are u serious?! the guy has been around for MAYBE twenty years or so and people are saying he’s washed up? that makes no sense. i admit i didn’t like Zwan or his solo stuff all that much, but the bottom line is that corgan continues to pump out decent music. and even if you don’t like the music, he is still one of the best songwriters of the 90’s and Zeitgeist was no different. the guy can write lyrics better than just about anyone who emerged from the grunge era. so shut up about billy corgan being washed up. if you were a true fan of his, you would remember that even the best bands of all time put out some crappy albums from time to time. that definitely doesn’t mean they can’t hack it anymore!

I really don’t think the “it’s really a Zwan reunion” argument holds water. If you’re going to be that picky about James and D’Arcy not being there, then you should be equally anal about the other members of Zwan not being around. And Corgan/Chamberlin were SP for many many more years than they were Zwan.

Of course, none of that “logic” stuff gets in the way of you trying to sound clever by saying it should be Zwan (and it doesn’t, by the way).

So it’s not the original lineup. Big deal. I could get up on stage and play D’Arcy’s bass lines. Jimmy Chamerlain and Billy Corgan make the Pumpkins the pumpkins. It’d be nice to see the original line up, but the tunes will still rock without them.

He has a big head! He must make bad music! It’s logic!

corgan is a talentless melonhead dumbo, no one cares about this tour or this reunion that was only done to make money in the first place. corgans solo was atrocious, zwan went nowhere, and he was craving the spotlight again.

oh, whaah! Darcy and James! blah, blah, only doing it for money!, blah blah, … do you realize how dumb you sound?

Billy Corgan=douchebag.

Corigan, Vedder, Weiland……. three born loser’s. Long Live Cobain…..

never mind the studio albums…. Billy Corgan, James Iha, D’arcy Wretsky, and Jimmy Chamberlain had a special chemistry ONSTAGE…. and that’s how the Pumpkins should tour.

Anything less just won’t do.

like STP, the music is DECENT at best, but the thing scott weiland and billy corgan dont get is NOBODY GIVES A SHIT THEY’RE GETTING BACK TOGETHER. this isnt the pixies. a special gish tour??? are you kidding me??? again, this isnt “daydream nation.” corgan is a douche.

Let’s talk about music and not only Corgan’s personality even if it’s a big part of it

I agree with Brent. I mean, even though I dearly miss James and D’arcy, it you reflect on some of the better songs off of Zeitgeist, most notably “Come On (Let’s Go)”, that song for example is 100% Pumpkinesque… and James and D’arcy had nothing to do with it, did they? So, in that light, I don’t think their absence will make that much difference musically, because it seems Corgan alone can be and sound like the Pumpkins, without the presence of the original band members. (Although I heard somewhere that D’arcy was THE feedback master in the band — and her input may still be needed. I bet she would have made Billy toss the horrific “Tarantula” out in a Chicago backalley, for example.)

But yes, he should NOT hang up his guitar and call it quits because he is on the right track now… and even though Zeitgeist is a heavily flawed album, it’s better than what most people expected it to be, but most people won’t admit that. The next album will be even better.

I too have to say I was not that moved by the Zwan album ( with the exception of one song, the centerpiece, “Ride the Black Swan”, which is fantastic ), BUT, if you dig up some of the songs that didn’t make it on the album, you’ll find that the BEST songs were left off the album, and that pretty much the worst of the batch made it onto the album… WHY I don’t know, cuz there were so many good ones.

As for those comparing bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, Pixies, and Sonic Youth, it’s pretty senseless… they are all in different leagues, their sounds/soundscapes, lyrics, etc, are not to be compared, ranked. But if I spend enough time here, pretty soon I’ll come across people comparing Stephen Malkmus to Jon Bon Jovi. Now THAT’S something to look forward to. =)

Billy Corgan and Chamberlain are the Smashing Pumpkins just as Trent Reznor is Nine Inch Nails no?

I think it’s great they’re touring with or without Darcy and James! I still wish that Billy would quit manipulating his voice so much in the studio though! I loved his raw voice on the earlier albums like Gish, Pisces, and Siamese Dreams!! I also wish he would steer away from sounding so etherial! Yeah…that’s my opinion.

I also miss Smashing Pumpkins with Corgan having hair and hot babe D’arcy on bass and those other guys. But now that Corgan is a melon head it just quite isn’t the same. The old material is great, esp Gish and Siamese Dream. But the newer stuff with Corgan having a chrome dome just sucks. The tour better be magical all right. Perhaps Corgan should wear a wig during the concerts.

I am really looking forward to more from the pumpkins. Great music by amazing musicians… what else could you ask for? The last two minutes of United States is some of the best ROCK that has been released in 15 years!

I wish I had made Siamese Dream.

no james iha and no d’arcy = no pumpkins.

call it what you will, billy.

i love smashing pumpkins, but the band has not released a good album in about 12 years, this whole 20th anniversary thing – without james and d’arcy – smells like a cash in.

Only thing I care about is Stone Temple Pilots getting back together. Anyone know when the next album is??

Thanks

Come to Toronto, Please! You have a lot of fans here.

No Darcy and James? Anniversary, yes. Reunion, no. Sounds like some sort of writer’s block/money issue to me.

No Darcy and James? Anniversary, yes. Reunion, no. Sounds like some sort of writer’s block/money issue to me.

No Darcy and James? Anniversary, yes. Reunion, no. Sounds like some sort of writer’s block/money issue to me.

Reading most of these comments – saying “they are in it just for the money”… Who the fuck isn’t? Is the bullshit notion of being a ’sell out’ still in the heads of people? Look, as soon as you make your first buck off a song (or art) you made – you have become a sell out. Now buy that mansion on the hill…

John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Joe Strummer, Billy Corgan, Eddie Vedder, Jimi Hendrix and Freddie Mercury are all sell outs. So lets stop this stupid fucking notion that bands are out there for the ‘love’ of the music. Cause love don’t buy you new cars, chicks with fake blonde hair and tits, and love never paid the bills.

Now, for Iha and D’Arcy not on the bill – I have to say – this tour will suck. These guys WHERE the Smashing Pumpkins, before Billy went on an ego drive and fucked the Pumpkins up. They where always a middle road band – they didn’t suck, but also not the greatest alt. act of their time. Yes – I said of ‘their time’… The early to mid 1990’s… Coming up under the grunge/alt scene of the day…. Played more pyscadelic sounds back then… (but even at that, The Verve still buried them… Check out Gish to the Verve LP and still me which one Syd Barrett would listen to… Of course, the Verve…) Then Corgan made the band change to sound like Cobains (well selling) quite-loud dynamics… Then Billy went goth (more emo to me – and emo fucking sucks – hope it burns in hell soon… Hitler would listen to this shit…)… Then the Pumpkins began to suck… No good record since Pieces Iscariot… (Melon Collie was too long and full of filler)…

Smashing Pumpkins should just play Las Vegas as a lounge act w/ STP and Axl Rose.

Damn right I’d pay good money for another Pumpkins tour. The 90s were awesome and the Pumpkins are the best 90s band still around. Listen to Gish and then listen to a CD from a popular rock or “punk” band of 2008, and tell me which is better. I don’t really care who is on the bass. I’m totally going to check out a great show from a great band.

Billy stifled my creativity. He was so set on squawking like a vulture into the microphone that I couldn’t think. Mellon Collie was so bloated that if you punctured it with a pitchfork you could knock a dog off a gutwagon. Retire Billy, retire.

I’d like to know exactly what all the Pumpkins fans felt that D’arcy and James contributed to the band. From what I’ve read, Billy and Jimmy were the primary songwriters. And that’s probably not far from the truth either. Listen to all of the ten or so songs that James wrote and sang on…they all suck except for “GO” from Machina II. Did the Pumpkins peak with Millen Collie and the Infinite Sadness? Yes, they did, but they’ve still managed to make decent albums after that. No Jimmy & Darcy means no Pumpkins? What if all of them returned but Billy Corgan? Does that make the Pumpkins reunion legit? HELL NO. Corgan is the heart and soul of the Pumpkins, whether you like it or not.

Rumor has it there will only be one show to this tour. Hammond Indiana? I’m not sure why, but this might be the last Pumpkins show ever!