The band may be ending their touring and going into hibernation, but the HU podcast is just getting started. Thanks to everyone who listened last week and welcome to those just now finding us from one of the many places on the web I’ve shamelessly plastered the URL. This week we kept our technical difficulties mostly in check so that we could discuss recent band news, the end of the tour, and the future of the Pumpkins.

If you’ve fallen into the clutches of the Cult of Steve Jobs, you can now subscribe to our podcast through the iTunes Music Store, or you can always listen to or download the entire show right here.

Listen to the whole show (53:23)

(download)

This week’s topics:

Panelists
-Chris, Jason, and Andrew

News
-The Pumpkins get inducted into the Rockwalk, high honor or shameless PR? (7:48)

-Got Milk? Milk has the Pumpkins, along with a totally radical teen-oriented website. (3:33)

Tour Roundup
-The tour ends, but not before Jason educates us on the finer points of mariachi outerwear and discusses the evolution of United States. (9:26)

In-Depth Discussion
-What’s next for the Pumpkins? I give Andrew and Jason $100 to wager on the band’s next move. Will they put it all down on a return of the Audio Vanguard Association? Plus, I drop all pretense and beg for a pre-Gish tour. (18:57)

This Week in Pumpkins History
-The Zero single is released, leading to years of Pastichio Medley timecode debate. Plus, the Arising! tour ends and Andrew assigns blame for the breakup of the band. (5:59)

Song of the Week
-Zero April 17, 1999

Next week we will be doing a review of the Double Door Show from February 28th, 1995. If you’d like to listen to the show before hearing us talk about it, download it from the Live Music Archive.

Thanks for all the great feedback last week. Again, you can Contact Us or leave comments in this post.

Above: Sorry, I had to…you know they’re never going to play this again (YouTube)

Pablo Alvarado captures the Smashing Pumpkins onstage (background) and festivalgoers standing to the side of the crowd (foreground). More from his Flickr page.

Above: The band takes the stage after midnight before 25,000 in Alajuela (Nacion.com)

San José’s Al Día reports that Festival Imperial runs late:

Billy Corgan y sus Smashing Pumpkings cierran este primer día del Festival Imperial, ellos tocarán a eso de la 1 a.m..

The Pumpkins’ world tour ends not with a bang, but with a set at a Costa Rican multi-artist event, the website for which has an…awesome…Flash intro.

Below: Believe in beer tonight (YouTube)

The Pumpkins now have confirmed March tour dates in Mexico and Costa Rica.

Claire from Costa Rica Pages claims to have the inside scoop on a Pumpkins appearance at Festival Imperial, which goes down April 19-20 in Alajuela.