A newly launched website for the new Smashing Pumpkins movie (can I call it that?) lists exactly 43 U.S. locations (hmm…) at which “If All Goes Wrong” can be seen on November 6. Australian and British showings are on tap for Nov. 7 and Nov. 25, respectively.
Back in February the Pumpkins were supported for a gig in Glasgow by locals Twin Atlantic. Seven months later, singer Sam McTrusty gives Metrothe truth, right here:
You recently supported Smashing Pumpkins. How did you find the notoriously difficult Billy Corgan?
There’s the truth, right there. We had to load in behind a black curtain while they did a closed soundcheck. Our guitarist, Barry, walked round the front and some guy screamed: ‘Get out of here.’ We weren’t treated very hospitably.
As a big Kinks fan I can’t help but think “Shangri-La” would have been a better fit for the U.K., but my making that comment is largely just an excuse to provide this link.
Below: Uhm, anyway…here’s a little white light (YouTube)
Jon Bye of UK site Gigwise wrote a largely positive review of the Pumpkins’ concert at London’s O2 Arena, only to see several readers respond with comments trashing the show. When Scott Colothan of Gigwise then posted a new article documenting the negative reaction of these readers — you see where I’m going with this — the comments on that article were filled with effusive praise for the band’s performance.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the editors of Gigwise to the Internet, a place where readers (1) comment on items with which they disagree and (2) email to friends those items with which they agree.
Oh, and my favorite comment of the bunch, from Gigwise reader “Katy”:
It felt like I was watching a support band all night. I left before the end. Can’t believe some people were cheering that rubbish
UPDATE (2/20): Gigwise has reacted in brilliant fashion by throwing up its hands and publishing a third article, all but begging UK tour witnesses to stop “talking gibberish” and to decide this matter of “The Smashing Pumpkins - Rock Titans or Self-Indulgent Flops?”
As Derrin in the Motherland reports, the London in-store appearance went off without a hitch, though my suspicions about a brief performance were not fulfilled. Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin manned the event graciously, offering to sign copies of the recently-released American Gothic and Zeitgeist discs. See more pictures and read more about the event here.
After the appearance, the band took the stage at the O2 Arena to perform a similar setlist to the previous night’s - except with an Echo and the Bunnymen encore. However, attendees are also reporting an on-stage announcement that Ginger is engaged!
If that’s the truth, Ms. Sling - whole-hearted congratulations! Who’s the lucky guy?!
Selections from user comments on Rob Allen’s Manchester Evening Newsreview of last night’s show:
“Worst concert I’ve ever seen in 25 years. Dull, pedestrian shoe gazing plodding dirge.” –Dave Ashton
“Brilliant concert. Shame it wasn’t a full house, but that doesn’t make them less worthy as a band.” –johnny99
“A terrible atmosphere in the arena, a poorly-judged setlist - too many mid-paced chuggers and improvisations (the middle of ‘United States’ springs to mind here) and a set which rumbled on for two and a half hours.” –Peter Lee
“The songs which were played however were excellent: a great band with a tight sound which translates well to an arena.” –Amit Sud
“I’ve always wanted to see this band live, but what I saw was an arrogant frontman surrounded by a muddy pool of noise!” –Paul Atkinson
“The sound was awful at times but they shone through. A nice bit of My Blue Heaven, and how many there recognised Uriah Heep’s ‘Easy Livin” apart from me? Enjoyed it most of the time.” –geriatric
It’s nearly 5pm in Manchester, UK where the Smashing Pumpkins are scheduled to play this evening at the MEN Arena. I would imagine they’re mid-soundcheck at the moment with a nice long line of Brits queued up at the door. HU has a faithful blogfriend at the concert tonight — and he is planning on sending us live updates as the events progress.
Our correspondent also alerted us to a phone interview with Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin that occurred on Wednesday of this week with Radio 1 in the UK. Among the topics discussed: building a new recording studio, releasing archive material, an upcoming tour based on different periods of the band later this year, and the band’s continual drive to push itself to the limits. Listen to the streamed interview below while waiting for the festivities!
Let the live-blog begin:
5:49pm GMT: “OK. So we’re on the train to Manchester now. It’s quite daunting that last night’s show in Nottingham was cancelled due to poor crowd responses; that’s the midlands though and this is the north. It’s been 8 years since the band last played the city, finishing the show with 1979 where the band dressed up as various famous Mancs including David Beckham, Posh Spice, the Gallagher Brothers and George Best. I’m predicting a Joy Division / New Order cover in the Cash Car Star medley… Fingers crossed we get that far!”
[ed. The show he’s talking about was Halloween 2000 in Manchester. From the SPLRA: “The band dressed in costume for the second encore. Billy was David Beckham, Jimmy was George Best, Mike Garson and Chris Holmes were the Gallagher twins (of Oasis), Melissa was Posh Spice, and James was Alf Inge Haland.”] [pictured at right]
7:40pm GMT: Our blogfriend is on his way to the venue and encountered some local press - it pronounces “PUMPKIN POWER”! [pictured at right]
8:32pm GMT: “The lights drop and Porcelina sounds majestic.” That it does, I’m sure. So jealous.
8:44pm GMT: “Bill throttles his guitar, waves of feedback, and it’s Behold! Bigger and better than the Adore version. The piano interlude sounds beautiful. Loving the dress. . . Bring the Light, Jesus metal!”
8:48pm GMT: “No surprises as yet but the piano chimes in for Tonight, Tonight. This song made me a fan, stunning epic pop. The round is crystal clear in this half arena. Mayo next - the crowd is responding better now. For me it’s the words that make this song so good, evoking my teenage years. Still not much jumping, good / bad? Try Try Try, full band, not a favorite but the backing makes it loads better.”
9:05pm GMT (4:05pm EST): I am starting to wonder if anyone at work would be interested to see this live-blog or if it’s a liability. If this entry ends suddenly, it’s not because Billy has left the stage - it will be because I’ve lost my job.
9:09pm GMT: “Jeff looks super cool and Ginger beautiful but Lisa packs the talent. Darker now, Superchrist - yeah yeah yeah! Been waiting for this fabulous riffing, stomp n pomp. Exactly what the band should be doing nowadays, like an asteroid hitting a planet but I digress, fantastic. Straight into Come On Let’s Go. Ginger makes this one.”
[ed. Do *all* livebloggers prefer Lisa?!]
[ed. ed. co-blogger JJB surmises: “I think it’s that all real men prefer Lisa.”]
9:24pm GMT: “‘Good evening Manchester! Welcome to my rock and roll party. You’re lucky to be invited!’ - now Stellar. Nobody knows it but ah well, I like it on record and it sounds like the record. If it had been on [Zeitgeist] people would have got it better. Acoustic time, Perfect. Jimmy on tam. We need surprises, it’s too clockwork. Band are back for Lily. . . I’ve been looking forward to this - best song about a stalker ever.”
9:33pm GMT: “New song. . . The Rose March, but there’s no Million-Billy Choir though. Lisa and Ginger do the job perfectly - why are they not on record? Bill’s posturing for applause. . . Today! Wow! We sing the verse.”
9:40pm GMT: “Tarantula! The place is in a Blitz, finally! I love the solo! Stand Inside Your Love.” [ed. That comment was not edited in any way. I count three exclamation points.]
9:50pm GMT: “Ava Adore. Love the intro, reinvented the whole song for me! The band is so tight. Jimmy on Adore, one can only wonder. One million times better than the 2000 version. ‘A song written when I was a young boy, had dreams, and gave a fuck’ - Drown.”
10:02pm GMT: “Bullet. Chants for the last verse grow from nothing. Bill looks pissed…I’m worried they won’t carry on…1979…we’ll see!”
10:11pm GMT: “Incidentally Bill’s vox sound amazing on 1979. Much better than the full band version 8 years ago. That’s the Way almost brings a tear to my eye. So much better than the album. My Blue Heaven, oh wow. Bill’s mincing as he sings along with the piano. Great stuff. Glad they brought this back. Everlasting Gaze fuelled, fire and brimstone rock!”
10:27pm GMT: “Cash Car Star…the medley, we’ll see. The hardcore at the front get it. Out comes the organ, Easy Livin’, looks like they’re sticking to routine, come on, stop!, etc. He mentions Kylie in the rant. Kansas, feedback, screams and solos. Shoegaze my Daydream, fantastic!”
10:46pm GMT: “Muddy, muddy Wound, I do love this song, though. A friend tells me he has cried 5 times so far. United States! Black wings over the UK. I cheer for the Star-Spangled Banner! Revolution, revolution, revolution blues. Bill jumps closer to the crowd. Jimmy is the best drummer I have ever seen. Scorching delayed guitar…there’s just Bill and Jim on stage. The rest are back. . . Best track on Zeitgeist, official.” [ed. unofficial]
11:02pm GMT: “I will scream and lose my voice for an encore, but they’re not coming back. Lights are on and a boo fills the room; a slight boo, I must add. But I leave happy. I wanted Bodies and I wanted Ruby, but I knew it was unlikely, so now I’m off drinking until three, over the Pennines and off home when it’s light.”
Have a pint for us, dear liveblogger! Thanks for tuning in to everyone out there on the internets.
(P.S. If you’re attending a show in the future and want to help us live-blog, feel free to drop us a note!)
As HU reported on Wednesday, the Smashing Pumpkins will be hosting an instore signing at the Oxford Street Zavvi Store. An email sent out last night via the Pumpkins news list, however, was titled “SPECIAL TOUR EDITION OF “AMERICAN GOTHIC” PLUS LONDON INSTORE PERFORMANCE FEB 16th.” Does this mean they’ll be playing a few songs? This certainly leaves me guessing. Anyone in the vicinity should consider bringing a recording rig for precaution’s sake!
In another interesting news item, they’re also releasing a UK limited edition copy of American Gothic, available for presale here.
It includes live tracks from the February 2008 European dates, which may explain why they are repeating the same setlist — it’s being recorded for hopeful release every night! Very cool. Here’s the full tracklist:
01. The Rose March [American Gothic EP]
02. Again, Again, Again [The Crux] [American Gothic EP]
03. Pox [American Gothic EP]
04. Sunkissed [American Gothic EP]
05. Lily (Live From UK Tour)
06. That’s the Way (My Love Is) (Live From UK Tour)
07. 1979 (Live From UK Tour)
08. Perfect (Live From UK Tour)
Then there was the girl who, at the end, threw a t-shirt up onto the stage towards Billy with her photo, mobile number and email address and the word “Call me” on it. He couldn’t stop snickering at first, saying “You never know when you’re gonna meet the future Mrs. Corgan” and then proceeded to tell all the guys in the audience to get their phones ready before reading out her number. Well, of course he stopped halfway, but it was hilarious.
He starting shouting out to her across the crowd, though we couldn’t hear what she was saying to him. So when he said, “You’re not even Irish” there was a pause in the crowd (a number of Northern Irish people have actually had Americans telling them that they are more Irish than us. Hello, Irish citizenship, people.), but everyone released that he hadn’t meant in it that way at all when he shouted “You’re Welsh!” going onto say “I’m Irish. I have to stick with my own kind” to which several people in the crowd, including a LOT of guys screamed, “I’m Irish! Marry me!” He also kept the girl going saying that he guessed she still lived with her mum (not sure how he got onto that), and in response I think she must have said something like “I’m poor” leading him to reply “You’re poor? Don’t worry; I’m rich!”
Zavvi.co.uk is reporting that the Pumpkins will be hosting an American Gothic EP in-store signing session on Oxford Street in London this weekend. Looks like it’s a wristband event, which means you better get there early (and send us your pictures)!
DETAILS //
Date: Saturday, February 16th Time: Wristbands available at 9AM, Signing begins at 1PM Location: Zavvi Oxford Street [map and directions]
As promised, Hipsters United is still on patrol for free Pumpkins goods for our faithful readers. Today’s giveaway, courtesy of LiveNation and GigWise is for tickets to the February 16th show at the O2 Arena.
A newly launched website for the new Smashing Pumpkins movie (can I call it that?) lists exactly 43 U.S. locations (hmm…) at which “If All Goes Wrong” can be seen on November 6. Australian and British showings are on tap for Nov. 7 and Nov. 25, respectively.
Jon Bye of UK site Gigwise wrote 
As Derrin in the Motherland 
