Saw The Smashing Pumpkins again tonight... <clips inside>

[SwirlyMaple]

This is the second time I've seen them. First time was back in 2019 for their reunion tour. They've always been one of those bands I kinda liked, but was never really into... until I saw them live.

I would put them in the top 3 best live guitar rock bands I've ever seen, for both of their shows I've attended. Their live performance is TIGHT, and their guitars and drums sound absolutely MASSIVE. I sometimes find Corgan's voice a bit grating on recorded material, but in a live context, with that huge wall of sound, it cuts through like a razor.

Here's a clip from tonight. I have others I'll add once they finish uploading.




Edit: more clips (full songs)

Cherub Rock


A nice acoustic version of Tonight, Tonight with some funny banter at the beginning

 

[the swede]

Love SP, was mostly into them back in the days when I was young. Siamese Dream is iconic for me and one of those “things” that made me really want to play guitar.

Fuck shit… there was this great YT short in my flow the other day from the rig tech, preparing stuff for this years summer tour. He shows how messed up the stuff gets after the tours and what he did with cables/midi and instruments… can’t find it now.

Thanks for the post also! I agree about massive guitars.. they’ve (or billy) always known the art of dynamics (very quiet and sensitive to very loud and huge).

 

[SwirlyMaple]

Love SP, was mostly into them back in the days when I was young. Siamese Dream is iconic for me and one of those “things” that made me really want to play guitar.

Fuck shit… there was this great YT short in my flow the other day from the rig tech, preparing stuff for this years summer tour. He shows how messed up the stuff gets after the tours and what he did with cables/midi and instruments… can’t find it now.

Thanks for the post also! I agree about massive guitars.. they’ve (or billy) always known the art of dynamics (very quiet and sensitive to very loud and huge).

There aren't too many bands where I was floored at how good they sounded live. At first I thought maybe it was just the venue and a stellar sound system, but I've seen other acts at this same place and none of them stood out like SP. If you ever get the chance to see them in their current lineup, it's very much worth it. They haven't lost anything to time, yet!

Would like to see that video if you can find it :) I think they're actually using Helix stuff for some of their effects. Whatever they're using for their rigs, it sounds damn good.

 

[the swede]

There aren't too many bands where I was floored at how good they sounded live. At first I thought maybe it was just the venue and a stellar sound system, but I've seen other acts at this same place and none of them stood out like SP. If you ever get the chance to see them in their current lineup, it's very much worth it. They haven't lost anything to time, yet!

If they come to sweden I’ll try to catch them for sure, never seen them live :)

Would like to see that video if you can find it :) I think they're actually using Helix stuff for some of their effects. Whatever they're using for their rigs, it sounds damn good.

There were two fractal racks shown in the short video. So I guess they could be using floor Helix if that’s the case.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

If they come to sweden I’ll try to catch them for sure, never seen them live :)

Somebody really needs to figure out teleportation already. It's 2023, what are they waiting for? I could certainly use some more live Swedish metal in my life too

Just added one more full clip, a nice acoustic version of Tonight, Tonight. Enjoy Mr. Swede!

 

[the swede]

Kinda makes one warm and fuzzy (haha… fuzz haha) to see Iha and Corgan getting along. Imo none of them is anything without each other. I remember them being upset with each other and there’s was nothing good with SP then.

I suppose the same goes for Chamberlain (the third important factor) and Wretsky although it seems the one least important for the musical vibe through all the years has been Wretsky. But there was always this romanticism added by her presence in videos and shows, wich in turn added to the “feeling” of SP.

The new bass dude looks super boring… Wretsky was a damn good bass dude….. poor girldude…

 

[Byrdman]

Is it one of these?

 

[the swede]

Is it one of these?

Nah… it was “short” and it was one of the techs own vids… can’t find it in my YT history… sucks.

It must have been Iha’s tech because it’s Schroeder who uses dual Helix dual REVV and Billy uses amp heads only. And it seems Iha have been using Fractals in previous tours.


So who the fuck is James Iha’s mystery tech?

 

[Sleezy E]

I posted this in the "what are you listening to" thread the other day, but it seems appropriate here...

Siamese Dream album release show, 1993

 

[Whizzinby]

I’ve seen the Pumpkins live over a span of ‘93 to 2020, and the Reunion show was by far the best they sounded, as well as the best overall stage production. I’m glad theyve found a way to have a second act in their career, at least from a live perspective. (Their recent albums have been hot garbage though unfortunately)

 

[Whizzinby]

The new bass dude looks super boring… Wretsky was a damn good bass dude….. poor girldude…

That’s the one unfortunate thing about the reunion. I really wish the band and Darcy would have been able to make it work. She is a big part of the band, even if just from an attitude and band aesthetic perspective.

That said, she really fell off post Pumpkins. Major drug issues. Doesn’t even look like herself anymore. I think the band tried to get her involved but she just proved to be too flaky.

 

[TubeStack]

That’s the one unfortunate thing about the reunion. I really wish the band and Darcy would have been able to make it work. She is a big part of the band, even if just from an attitude and band aesthetic perspective.

That said, she really fell off post Pumpkins. Major drug issues. Doesn’t even look like herself anymore. I think the band tried to get her involved but she just proved to be too flaky.

I am a D'arcy fan, too. Super solid, in-the-pocket bass player and was an important part of the band's personal and creative chemistry, I think. Never been the same without her.

re. the reunion, I think she felt Corgan led her to believe she'd be the full-on bass player and get paid accordingly, and then it turned out it was a “show up for a few songs every few shows” thing, for way less money, like Adler in GnR.

She got super pissed and posted bunch of text conversations that made Corgan look like a dick and the whole thing imploded. Also Corgan expressed uncertainty as to whether she could handle a full tour, given how long she'd been inactive, as well as maybe the substance issues, etc. At least that's what I recall reading.

 

[DrewJD82]

I’d go see them if given the chance, for sure. I don’t dig everything I’ve heard from them but they were a huge part of my coming-of-age years and it was impossible not to see the videos nonstop when I was watching for AIC and STP. Whenever I hear older-than-Melancholy SP, I think “Damn, I need to listen to more of this!” but always forget to.

Billy was a shredder in the 80’s! Here he is with his Alex Lifeson Axxess Les Paul in 1980-something


The last I heard about D’arcy was a Richard Patrick interview where he had no problem talking about them hooking up in the past and their substance abuse issues.

 

[Whizzinby]

I am a D'arcy fan, too. Super solid, in-the-pocket bass player and was an important part of the band's personal and creative chemistry, I think. Never been the same without her.

re. the reunion, I think she felt Corgan led her to believe she'd be the full-on bass player and get paid accordingly, and then it turned out it was a “show up for a few songs every few shows” thing, for way less money, like Adler in GnR.

She got super pissed and posted bunch of text conversations that made Corgan look like a dick and the whole thing imploded. Also Corgan expressed uncertainty as to whether she could handle a full tour, given how long she'd been inactive, as well as maybe the substance issues, etc. At least that's what I recall reading.

My read of the mess was that they originally approached her to do it, but they couldn’t get her in the same room with the band or get any type of firm commitment for months, so they started making other plans. I think once she realized they were going to move forward with the reunion anyway, she suddenly had a change of heart but balked at them offering her some limited role since they didn’t have any faith in her.

Honestly I think she blew it, not the rest of the band. Jimmy is probably the most sane of them all, and he seemed to indicate it was never going to work touring if they couldn’t even get her to talk face to face.

 

[TubeStack]

My read of the mess was that they originally approached her to do it, but they couldn’t get her in the same room with the band or get any type of firm commitment for months, so they started making other plans. I think once she realized they were going to move forward with the reunion anyway, she suddenly had a change of heart but balked at them offering her some limited role since they didn’t have any faith in her.

Honestly I think she blew it, not the rest of the band. Jimmy is probably the most sane of them all, and he seemed to indicate it was never going to work touring if they couldn’t even get her to talk face to face.

Well, no one knows but them, ultimately. Each side can present it with their view being the favourable one.

 

[TubeStack]

On a side note, there is a funny D’Arcy news story from way back, where she owned a bunch of livestock (cattle?) and it all got out and ran loose in the small town where she lived. She had charges laid against her for it, and then refused to show up in court, if I remember right.

 

[Byrdman]

BTW, if anyone has not seen this, it is definitely worth watching/listening to.

 

[Byrdman]

Also BTW, my SP go to tone on my Stomp XL in to Pre-Amp setting on my amp is Simple EQ, Bighorn Fuzz, Thrifter Fuzz and Placater Clean. Sometimes I add a little reverb & Delay depending on song, but that tone is pretty much my Siamese Dream tone. YMMV

Anyone else got one to share?

 

[SwirlyMaple]

Also BTW, my SP go to tone on my Stomp XL in to Pre-Amp setting on my amp is Simple EQ, Bighorn Fuzz, Thrifter Fuzz and Placater Clean. Sometimes I add a little reverb & Delay depending on song, but that tone is pretty much my Siamese Dream tone. YMMV

Anyone else got one to share?

I’ve been using the Bighorn Fuzz for SP too. That particular fuzz model in Helix is Sounds so harmonically lush and ooey gooey fuzzy wuzzy.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

I’d go see them if given the chance, for sure. I don’t dig everything I’ve heard from them but they were a huge part of my coming-of-age years and it was impossible not to see the videos nonstop when I was watching for AIC and STP.

That was exactly how I felt about them until I saw them the first time during their reunion tour in 2019. They left me so impressed that I had a newfound appreciation for everything they played that night.

Anyone who has a chance to see them and even a passing interest in their music: go! Don’t miss out! Who knows how long they’ll keep performing at this level.

Their stage production for the tour a few years ago was crazy, too. They had these GIANT illuminated doll/statue stage props that evolved in shape/color/appearance throughout the show. This is somebody else’s clip I found that shows them pretty well:


When I saw them last night, Stone Temple Pilots was the opener. They sounded great, but I sure wish Scott was still on that stage with them Even though I enjoyed their set, somehow the Pumpkins make every band before them sound small in comparison. And I say that as a much bigger fan of STP than SP.