New-look Smashing Pumpkins start world tour at Los Angeles club 7:17 pm // Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Posted by jjb in live, news.trackback
Sometime after 8pm PT tonight, Billy Corgan will take the mic in front of 250 onlookers at the Viper Room on Sunset Strip to warm up for/kick off the first Smashing Pumpkins tour since 2008. He’ll be backed by the brand-new rhythm section of bassist Nicole Fiorentino and drummer Mike Byrne, with guitarist Jeff Schroeder — a veteran by now of 160-some Pumpkins gigs since the band’s revival — still standing at stage left.
This post will be updated with the most significant items that turn up over the course of the night. None of the HU bloggers are on scene, but we’re monitoring the Internets for news and have been assembling a list of Twitter users who will be attending the concert.
5:15pm PT: Those of us left at home tonight may at least enjoy this freshly uploaded recording of the August 29, 2009 Spirits in the Sky concert, the only one on that band’s short tour to be performed outdoors. The tracklist includes each of the first five songs from the Pumpkins’ new Teargarden by Kaleidyscope album.
There will not be a soundcheck performance for invited fans tonight, nor will tour-supporting bands Kill Hannah and Bad City appear. According to the Viper Room site, preshow entertainment will be provided by Los Angeles bartender/bass player DJ Jamie Scrap.
6:50pm PT: Fans can hear the band soundchecking through the doors, and so far they have played Astral Planes, Bleeding the Orchid, Pox, and United States.
7:25pm PT: Soundcheck has ended.
7:50pm PT: Jessica Origliasso tweets: “Tonight tonightttttt. Hurry up 11pm.”
10:25pm PT: Musicians in the crowd, according to Twitter: Mark Tulin, Perry and Etty Farrell, the Veronicas (natch), Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go’s…others?
11:00pm PT: The Pumpkins are on stage, opening with Astral Planes.
11:10pm PT: Ava Adore is second out of the box.
11:15pm PT: Hummer.
11:20pm PT: As Rome Burns.
11:25pm PT: A Song for a Son.
11:35pm PT: Bleeding the Orchid.
11:40pm PT: Stand Inside Your Love.
11:45pm PT: Bullet with Butterfly Wings.
11:50pm PT: Widow Wake My Mind.
11:55pm PT: Perfect.
12:00am PT: Owata, with electric guitars.
12:05am PT: Cherub Rock.
[12:10am PT: That's the Way was in here, quite probably...it was on the setlist but no one on Twitter mentioned it.]
12:15am PT: United States.
12:20am PT: Another song, then the main set ends.
12:30am PT: And that is the end of the show and this post! No encore.
Comments
Sorry comments are closed for this entry
wonder who is there for DJ Jamie Scrap
I selected every one of those soundchecked songs in that top ten poll from last week. Hope to hear some of them in NYC. Certainly curious to see how Mike handles United States.
@skullivan – Agree, United States has been one of those songs that people have said ‘They’ll never play, because it was so Jimmy focused’… good luck Mike!
Also Pox debut is exciting.
because nothing says being in touch with your fans like teaching your new band members to play songs from the least popular era of the band
boring!
floppy is my idol
also where the fuck is ma belle COME ON BILLY IF I HAVE TO DEAL WITH ZEITGEIST MIGHT AS WELL BE EVERY RELEASED SONG FROM THE ERA. BEAT ME HARDER, PISS IN THE WOUND.
lol @ pox i dont think i even listend to american gothic in full
nor did i give it a 2nd listen ever!
So whipping out tristessa during in store day got me wet but looking at these sound check songs wahhhhhhhhhhh
@skullivan: You were a very strange voter
skullivan, if i hear any of these songs in NYC meet me by the sausage cart on the corner because i will be waiting to end you there for this.
Skullivan picked the top 10 songs from 2007 to 2010 nice going!
no one wants to hear this new shit billy get over yourself!
you dont see metallica playing just death mag they play the goods!
Megadeth rust in the peace inf ull! slayer seasons in ful!
PLAY SD OR MCIS IN FULL THEN CALL IT A NIGHT
@cundinama: Damn stupid twitter character limit. Long story short, i got to talk to billy before he went out to get dinner.
looks like they’re going to be starting late.. :/
IF ONLY MIKEY HAD CONVERTED BIG BILL TO THE WONDERS OF FAST FOOD, OH LORD.
It’s that time again, time to judge the quality of the show by the list of songs played. We’re getting started early this time, judging the show by the songs that were soundchecked.
LOL
you put your best foot forward man and if your best foot is a synonym for disease i can’t see how it could possibly get any better.
Hell yeah @chris…..Billy is happy i want him mad and mean so he brings out the harder songs like xyu and silverfuck into jackboot screaming his ass offf
i just want all the songs i like played just the way i like them and to take anything less would be like giving in to terrorism
@Floppy: I didn’t realize the closed soundcheck was the time when bands tried to impress the fans listening through the closed doors by playing their “best” songs. I guess that’s why they soundchecked Cherry and Frail and Bedazzled before a residency show or two and never played them during a show proper. Why bother when you’ve already wowed the front of the line outside!
@Tickets: Last time I checked, Astral Planes and United States are both hard songs. So just say what you mean, you want him to play the older songs that you’ve heard a million times before, with the exact same outro that he played 15 years ago. If you just want to hear Billy scream, archive.org is just a click away…
You people are so hateful and selfish.
@floppy There’s a Vespa dealer up the street from Terminal 5. We’ll settle it the right way: Chickie race into the East River!
@jjb I’m still trying to figure out why exactly Stellar and Ma Belle are so popular. I’ve got nothing against them but neither are particularly memorable to me. That said, I was probably the only person on earth whose biggest beef with the 20th Anniversary shows was the lack of Zeitgeist songs. NYC never got a Zeitgeist tour show so I’m excited to possibly hear Orchid, and maybe they’ll bust out 7 Shades of Black and Bring the Light too. If I’m really lucky they won’t play That’s the Way.
If I was Billy I’d open the show with a vuvuzela rendition of Teargarden Theme.
Play GLOW Billy favorite Pumpin Song!
lol someone woke up on the wrong side of the blog this morning.
Ha! I’m just messing with you, I actually kind of enjoy your snarky comments.
ME TOO!!
ChRiS & FlOpPy BFF FOREVER!!!!
Sadly as a timeclock-punching Eastern-Timer, I won’t be able to join you all for the collective yaying and booing as the songs get tweeted. Just assume that I yayed when they play Song for a Son, booed if they play a song I like but butcher it beyond recognition (I’m still bitterly looking at you, I am One Part II), and shut my computer down in anger if they play Annie-Dog or Glass+the Ghost Children.
i’m hoping billy stops the show to sext his gf right in the middle of united states.
i walked out when they played i am one part 2 on the last crap tour
god dam it was bad
\m/ TOTES BADASS BRO!! \m/
I am one part 2 was fucking awesome are u kidding me! ur prolly the idiot who would walk out on gossamer too huh, saying i want to hear tonight, tonight boo hoo. anyway, pox that is awesome to hear. would love to hear mikes take on united states too. i bet billy changed it up a bit again. cant wait to hear all this
according to the soundcheck united states is now 2 minutes long and just the opening riff, no vocals.
i think that is really experimental and cool, what do u guys think?
@bitterRoot I’m with u mate….who is this I sell tickets dude…somehow I think he/she blogs here just to stir shite! All of american gothic is awesome and I luved I am one pt 2. Mikey is gonna nail United States!
haha floppy… i dunno about this 2 min united states business, pretty experimental if u ask me.
i think if i were to like hear it live and just get totally pumped up and mosh like crazy to it and then 2 minutes or so in he’s like “DENIED” and just throws his guitar at my jugular i think i would just about wet my pants nut.
“Sometime after 8pm PT” = 11pm PT
ya i would totally be happy with a corgan guitar wound to the throat or vital organ…
is billy wearing a dress or some freaky space costume?? or is he just dressed as a hippy hipster
if he cripples me i can probably just Mrs.Melvoin him behind the scenes or something, right?
ATTN LONELY SP FANS AT THE VIPER ROOM RE: YOUR VIRGINITY
“Jessicaveronica
Im gonna push my way to the front of @smashingpumpkin ‘s tonight. Mmmm Maybe I should make a sign..suggestions? ;) Lol. ”
DON’T PASS UP YOUR CHANCE TO FEEL UP BIG BILLS GIRLFRIEND, WHO KNOWS WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN
Man i wish i lived in the U.S sometimes! This show is gonna be awesome, wish I was there. For those who are please try to give us a running setlist. thanks!
where do u live wombat?
Auckland, New Zealand
they are going to korea, maybe billy will get lost and play on top of a flock of hobbits or whatever happens there.
haha, very funny… They said they are touring Australia so im hoping they’ll come to NZ as well. If not I’ll just fly to OZ. Would like to head to Japan but I think that would empty my wallet!
@chris – oh, come on. Either let it go and admit that IAOptII was amazing at the 20th anniversary shows, or we’re going to have a fan-vs-fan podcast on that song. It’s. so. good.
@floppy – oh, for crying out loud. gross. i don’t know who has more issues — her, for.. whatever that was, or you for posting. ;)
sometimes i think twitter is too powerful a technology for common decency.
attendees of 6/30 concert twitter list fail:
ravivullman whoa. dr dog at hotel cafe. whoa. what a blessing.
6 minutes ago via web
Get that waste of tweets off the list!
@jill having around 90% of the comments on the shitty un-endorsed fanblog of a garbage washed up rock band < having the penis of the only remaining original member of said garbage washed up rock band inside the holes of their body.
i believe i win this battle
huh?
@floppy touche. also you hang out in a chat box.
it’s inspirational to me, like having the flu and walking in the terminal ward of the hospital.
A lot of boring blabber.
is the show even happening right now?
not yet, another hour
19 minutes GET PUMPED YOU GUYES !!! YEAM YEAH!!! YEAHY~!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!AAAAAA
9 MINUTES OhHhhHhHHHH FUCK!!!!! THIS IS IT!!!!
I’m guessing Monte paid the $250 (that *is* him in that first photo with the camera I assume.)
floppy….for some reason your crazy comment are cracking me up. i hope i’m not encouraging you.
rest easy baby, even if everyone put me on ignore i’d probably still do it. floppies gonna flop
well billy corgan flipped out when people wouldn’t shut up during baby or something and left the stage. according to reports, the DJ immediately played Wild Thing.
Today and Freak were not played.
Peace, Love, and Happiness did not make it to show number 2.
Sounds like it went brilliantly. Cough.
LOL Drev
I want to hear some new songs! not just 4 semi new ones…ones we crazed fans haven’t heard..just give us one-that means one freaking new song none of us heard
part of ‘Owata’
and ‘As Rome Burns’
\m/
A bunch of classics. Owata fits right in.
LOL @ setlist
People talking over the music at the Viper Room? Quelle surprise!
Wow – so glad I didn’t bother getting tickets for this tour. What a snore.
So according to someone on the sp.com message board (take with usual grain of salt until it’s corroborated), Billy started playing the ukelele a little bit (not necessarily Baby) expecting some sort of crowd recognition or reaction. Instead there was talking, Billy said “I’m too old for this” and walked off the stage.
The whole thing just seems strange. Starting at 11 PM? Even if the last 3 songs on the setlist were played, that’s only about a 1 hour and 45 minute show.
didn’t know if you guys read this yet, but stereogum just put up a review and photos of the show- http://stereogum.com/426152/the-smashing-pumpkins-the-viper-room-los-angeles-63010/photo/
(Maybe he should look at his girlfriend- and say “I’m too old for this.”)
Or maybe he should stop acting like a 24y/o- and tell the all the little 20 somethings
in the crowd to shut the f-up and put the g-damn cell phones away.
He’s in charge- make them listen.
Just watched the the cut new song at blamo. Wow he really flipped out “I love you guys, but I’m getting too old for this”………..not like it’s the first time a band hasn’t done an encore people. I like the set so far, although I don’t think it will be the finished one for all the shows. This tour should definitely have a shorter show in general though, just because of the 2 support bands. 90 to 120 mins range isn’t probably too unrealistic. I think it might be better to focus it a little more for the new people, although of course I loved all the 3 1/2 to 4 hour shows.
I think the setlist shows him picking up where he left off, and trying to reinvent the prior album slightly, along with the new stuff. Pretty much every tour he has done a lot of new stuff, combined with a few surprises, greatest hits, and the prior albums songs with new arrangements. I really want to see how Orchid sounds, since it appears it was in a higher key. Owata sounds great electric too, I hope it’s still in the running. What I heard of Rome Burns was good too. I think after the first real show of the tour we will get a better idea of the set though.
i’m glad my show is the last one on the tour
you know, i follow a motivational quote twitter so i can annoy my friends with how stupid as fuck they are but this one fits the idea of this moment so well
motivatquotes
What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate. ~ Donald Trump
YEAH MOTIVATQUOTES, YOU TELL ‘EM!!!!
wait this was the end of the show??
..that’s so dumb, what a prima donna
I love his music, but fuck his attitude and his proclamations of spiritual growth.
Having some stage experience, I think a lot of these can be avoided – stop giving these assholes attention, Billy!
Billy is probably one of the last few HUGE rockstars left that actual deserve their status as such, so when he acknowledges someone – it makes them feel special. Most people thrive on the attention from yelling “Billy!” or some other shitty comment and the big guy on stage acknowledges them and calls them out!
A grown man yelling, “Billy!!” in the middle of a small club like that should be left alone to tell Billy and feel pretty silly calling out another man’s name like that. Might take 2-3 times if he’s drunk/clueless, but he’ll get the picture when people in the crowd start looking at him.
If you start a dialogue with your audience (esp in a small club) you kind of jump the “third wall” that is needed to be in place.
But Billy’s interaction with the crowd are also what gives SP that charm. Maybe only acknowledge positive things “I love you!”… ?
That being said, hopefully he doesn’t just not play that song/that instrument because of this stupid shit. I really want to hear “Baby” and anything else he’s got – so shake it off, Billy!
If people think it is useless and non-point to yell, they’ll stop. But the band are making headlines for this stuff, so people want to show off and be the “big man” who is bullying the rockstar and getting away with it.
Us fans should just give hand signals to Billy. That’s what I prefer to do. You’ll see me doing a thumbs up, or just giving huge smiles. Those are better. Plus, the more Billy’s gotta humor these fucktards, the less likely we will get another 3-4 min song.
lol
The talking and cell phones are rude. To expect anything less from LA is to expect to be disappointed. I hope Billy realizes this is not an indication of how the rest of the tour will go.
He actually did the right thing by walking off. If someone is being rude, then you do not stand there an tolerate it.
i agree with riley, the bullshit isn’t that he cut out of the song and the show but it’s because a percentage of the audience were acting like a bunch of fucktards.
he didnt throw a tantrum or act like a prima donna, he acted like a mature human being who IS ‘too old to deal with this shit.’
that song sounded reallllly beautiful and deserved to be heard rather than having to compete with ridiculous chatter. kudos billy!
btw—we should focus on the rest of the set which i’m sure absolutely melted…let’s stop having these ‘fans’ get in the way whether it be at the shows or on these sites and enjoy what it is that we all supposedly come here or there for…the MUSIC. peace
Yea, Billy should just stop playing when 1 person out of XXXX amount of people heckle him. I’m sure that would go over REAL well in trying to promote his project. Every SP fan would understand, just end the show. Sense that sarcasm?
They played a 21 and over venue at which the doors opened at 8:30 and the band didn’t take the stage until after 11. There was no opening band. So people got drunk. What exactly was Billy expecting?
Billy’s petulant behavior fails to overshadow what was an otherwise amazing show though.
In my book, it’s refreshing to have an encore that actually has to be earned and desired by the audience. Way back when, they didn’t happen at every single performance of every single musician.
Amen to crowds needing to earn encores.
he’s gone from arenas to theaters to small clubs. i don’t think a high school prom will like this setlist any better next year but good luck.
HIPSTERS
UNITE
COME ALIGN FOR A SETLIST YOU DON’T KNOW
TONIGHT
BEWAREEEE
ALL THOSE FAGGOTS WITH IPHONES IN HAND
CAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW
WHAT IS ZEITGEIST? THE FUCK IS FOL?
DOES ANYONE KNOW?
WHO WANTS SOME UKULELE
AS LONG AS YOU SHUT UPPPPPPP FOR MEEEEE
WHOOOOO WANTS UKULEEEEEEEEE LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
SHUT THE FUCK UP
YEAH YOU
SHUT THE FUCK UP
LOLOL Floppy <3 as always
Why do many of you feel BC owe you something?
Listen to the entire catalog of music from beginning to end (if you have 24 hours to spare).
Then, move on to his next work.
Everyone pining for what is familiar is a burden to the artist. Let him play the friggin’ ukulele!
Lets examine it from another angle. Lets say Vincent Van Gogh.
“Oh boy Vinnie I really like those sunflowers, can you paint them again?”
“I want a sunflower painting- paint me one too!” “Can’t get enough of those sunflowers!”
Vincent replies “fuck the sunflowers; I’ve had it with the sunflowers. I’ve moved on to cypresses. If you don’t like it, then fuck off. No ones buying my art anyway, so I’ll do what I want!”
@JennBenn
I’m nitpicking here but that’s an unrealistic example. Being commissioned for a painting and playing a rock show are two different things. Also, the only person Van Gogh sold a painting to while he was alive was his brother. Though, if he was commissioned for a painting, he would have to paint what they asked of him. That’s how it worked. Michelangelo had issues with the church and his faith but it didn’t stop him from painting the Sistine Chapel. Anyway, my point is that people will have some expectations when they pay money (and travel long distances) to see a rock show – one of which includes not having the lead singer walk off because the room wasn’t completely silent while he played a song from the 30′s on his ukulele.
@halo
An artist has the right to say- enough is enough.
The people who have the expectations are the ones who are stuck in their
little Guitar Hero world and who feel the artist is defined by a few major works.
That’s unrealistic. Anyone who follows him knows that you can’t expect the
oldies but goodies in a traditional sense; if they don’t like it, don’t buy the ticket or shut up and leave.
He shouldn’t have to resort to storming off because children don’t know how to behave in public.
PS I was an art history minor; well aware of Van Gogh’s history thanks. Notice I said “no one’s buying my art. . . .
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@penn darvis – 84: Apparently the problem was more that Billy had a guestlist of something like 150 people for a place that holds 250. More than half the people there were not fans but Hollywood VIP’s who were there to schmooze. Billy’s got no one to blame but himself on that score. I’d imagine that’s what his “asshole uncle” comment was about. It wasn’t the people who paid to be there who were yakking away.
And hell, it’s not like he’s never done a solo acoustic show at the Viper Room before. People wouldn’t shut the hell up back in ’98 either and I wonder how much of that crowd were fans too. The ukelele was probably a bad idea.
To judge it a bad idea we would have to guess at what he was trying to achieve. I bet it was partially just to ‘see what happens’, and on that score it wasn’t necessarily bad…
halo: “people will have some expectations when they pay money (and travel long distances) to see a rock show”
However it ends, and whatever setlist the band had written out, a 90-minute set in a tiny club for $20 is a great deal by current ‘industry’ standards.
it’s too bad only like 25 minutes of it were relevant to anyone but us.
@skullivan
I’d definitely heard that rumor, but I didn’t really know if it was true. Either way, Billy put himself into that position, then allowed a few idiots to ruin the show for all the people that showed up early and actually cared. Well done.
100 ready or not here comes Bolly with pyscho killer thoughts and tear drop candy
In all fairnesss, I cant imagine transitioning real well from United States to a uke song. $&&^%%^* :D
Oh, not to be too needlessly combative, but generally I think an easy way to achieve pretty good concert ‘flow’ is to have the songs get progressively louder and more dissonant until there’s nowhere to go, and then start back in with soothing and quiet. Gradual easing up doesn’t seem to work as well, in my view. This happens on albums some too…for instance, I never liked how Machina started with Everlasting Gaze and then went into Sunshowers, which is fairly loud and quick and dense in its own right, but when I listen it’s just somehow obliterated in advance and can’t capture my attention fully even though I think it’s a superior song. (By contrast, Neverlost is the ideal followup to United States on Zeitgeist.)
personally i think billy corgan should, if anything, do the acoustic/ukulele set first and get it right out of the way when the audience is its most interested and then go into a straight rock show until the end, maybe start it with a hit like today to get them immediately in the mood to rock.
or hell, maybe he should just plan two sets of shows, one for the more casual fan that just wants to rock with the hits and similar intensity songs or new singles. The other one would be for the deeper fan who wants an interesting, unique, and artistic experience. market the artistic show using some kind of fanclub method to get tickets so he can be sure the audience is full of the ones who really want to be there to see him take chances.
The ukulele is great! So were the kazoos! Melodica! Harmonica! Whistles! Bongos!
AND I distinctly remember the use of a power drill on a guitar in 2000!
Bring on the triangle and the little colored xylophone we had when we were 3 y/o!
The wide range of instruments is fantastic! It shows that his creativity is limitless!
Who cares if its a song from the 30s- so were Always and Blue Heaven!
Bring it on BC! Let me bask in your musical schizophrenia!
I’ve always felt more connected to him when he plays acoustic- I can live without the long
gnarling electric solos.
Let me have it people!
second @jenn ’cause it’s nice to see someone with a crack of light ‘n’ positivity to enjoy it all
was it the origanal lineup??