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The Smashing Pumpkins live in Paris |
The Smashing Pumpkins live in Paris "The Return of Rock"
After a well-publicized breakup in 2000, The Smashing Pumpkins are finally making their long hoped for comeback, starting here in Paris at The Grand Rex on May 22nd. An international crowd descended on this legendary venue for a first glimpse at the band after the replacement of two members, and a curious listen to songs from their upcoming sixth album. It was a Smashing success, and relieved many fears of another failed rock group attempt at a “reunion tour”…Fans got a chance to size up the future potential of one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the 90’s grunge/progressive rock scene. In a word: Huge.
Following six years of bleak prospects for the group, The Smashing Pumpkins took the stage last night for their first live gig since 2 December 2000. It was an impassioned night at the acoustically favorable venue The Grand Rex, an intimate and opulently decorated concert hall which was packed with the 2,200 screaming fans that were lucky enough to grab a ticket in the few minutes it took to sell out. A three hour performance at the culmination of two years working on the highly anticipated comeback album Zeitgeist, due out 10 July (Martha’s Music/Reprise), they were met with a warm and rapturous welcome back to the stage. Their last show in Chicago in 2000, and subsequent dissolution, saw the splintering off of band members James Iha, who went on to work with A Perfect Circle, and D’Arcy Wretsky, who left indefinitely under obscure circumstances. Corgan himself produced a solo album and formed the band Zwan, but has now returned with the help of super talented drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, and some newcomers: bassist Ginger Reyes (who also sang backup quite effectively), guitarist Jeff Schroeder, and keyboardist Lisa Harriton, who all do an exceptional job of filling the very big shoes of their predecessors.
They played an explosive 29-song set, leading the audience through a hurricane of powerful musical style. Uncovering for the first time some new tracks from Zeitgeist, and a wide range of songs from their previous five albums, they had fans jumping out of their seats and running down the aisles like a wall of dominoes.
The band was dressed in all white, and Corgan came on stage draped in a long white robe, well fitting of his rock-God status. As he reached his arms out wide, tilted slightly backwards and belted out one of his signature howls, the crowd, simply put, went wild. The iconic frontman seamlessly glided into his set like it had only been days since the last show. There were plenty of familiar favorites, such as “Disarm”, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”, “1979” and “Silverfuck.” The riotous punch of “Zero,” coupled with a heavy lightshow artillery, incited a mad rush of headbanging, arms-in-the-air hysteria from the crowd. They also unveiled a few songs behind the release of the new album, including the now leaked “Tarantula,” with its pounding drums and marching bass lines, and the emotionally-charged acoustic “God and Country.” Fever pitched rock sections book-ended an interlude of more demure and melancholic acoustic songs, just as would be expected from a good Pumpkins show. It is a tumultuous ride on the Pumpkins chariot with its constant dynamic shift from placid to violently aggressive, most tracks lulling you into a trance with ethereal keyboards and slow guitar strumming, then slapping you in the face with an explosion of high decibel mayhem. Corgan’s nasal, whining voice is still a debated advantage, but love it or hate it, it is an epitomic scream of angst and fury that will flood instantly through your ears and infect every level of your consciousness like the aftershock of an earthquake.
Though fans are anxious to see the direction the new album goes and how the new band members will play into that, Corgan has always been the defining member of the Pumpkins, and we have faith he will not disappoint. However long it took him to establish his deservedly strong reputation, his musical and lyrical aptitude and determination will ensure it holds up. The band is well-known for their beautifully chaotic, densely layered soundscapes, and from what we’ve heard tonight, there is definitely more pumpkin smashing to be had in the future. All that’s left to ask now is: “Wanna go for a ride?”
Tiffany Miller
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Partenaire: The French Touch