On February 15 th , Smashing Pumpkins fans finally got the news that they had long-awaited —
the band is finally getting back together (well, at least three-fourths of it). The group announced
their upcoming “Shiny and Oh So Bright” tour with a short clip featuring the group’s 90’s hit
“Today” playing as the soundtrack. In the video, two solemn angels — who appear to be more
“mature” versions of the cherubs on the Siamese Dream cover — light up a Smashing Pumpkins
heart logo with a blowtorch and watch it burn while tour information scrolls from the bottom of
the screen.
The North American tour, which is scheduled to take place this summer, will include three of the
original members: lead singer Billy Corgan, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and guitarist James
Iha. Notably missing will be the band’s original bassist D’Arcy Wretzky, who has recently been
in a public feud with Corgan over whether or not Corgan had invited Wretzky to join the
reunion. For reasons that are under wraps, the group has decided to tour with guitarist Jeff
Schroeder instead.
The “Shiny and Oh So Bright” tour conspicuously coincides with the 30 th anniversary of the
Smashing Pumpkins’ formation. At these concerts, the Pumpkins will only play songs from their
first five albums: Gish (1991), Siamese Dream (1993), Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
(1995), Adore (1998), and Machina: The Machines of God (2000). According to Corgan, “[the]
show and staging will be unlike any we’ve ever done and will feature a set unlike any we’ve ever
played.” Corgan also said that the tour could be a “chance at a new beginning” that the Pumpkins
plan to usher in “with a real bang.”
Die-hard Pumpkins fans understand it’s been a rocky road to get here. In recent years, Corgan
has regularly floated the possibility of reuniting the band’s original lineup. In a January
Instagram post, he posted a picture of himself, Iha and Chamberlin lounging in a recording
studio. Part of the caption read: “So many memories when you put the three of us together.”
It might seem unimaginable, but it’s been 18 years since the original foursome worked together
in a recording studio (which was in connection with the release of Machina). Since then,
Chamberlin has intermittently supported Corgan on various Pumpkins projects; in fact,
Chamberlin contributed to all the band’s releases from 1991 to 1996 and from 1999 through
2009.
In March of 2016 (as a portent of good things to come), Iha memorialized his 48 th birthday —
and shocked the audience — by taking the stage with Chamberlin and Corgan for a set during a
Los Angeles show. Thereafter, Iha went on to play guitar for two songs on Ogilala — Corgan’s
sophomore solo album — which was released in October 2017.
The “Shiny and Oh So Bright” tour will launch on July 12 th and will hit 34 cities across the U.S.,
plus Montreal and Toronto (here are the tour dates and locations). The scheduled concert venues
reflect a wide array of locales, many of which offer opportunities to take advantage of local
diversions aside from the concert. For example, on February 23 rd , tickets went on sale (via
Ticketmaster) for the July 29 th concert in Uncasville, Conn., and the locals are undoubtedly
brimming with anticipation. The Pumpkins will be performing at the arena located in the
Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort, which for years has been a popular venue for both concerts and
poker tournaments. So, many fans will undoubtedly complement their epic Pumpkins reunion
experience with some time at the gaming tables.
I have great memories of how I surprised my sister with tickets to a Smashing Pumpkins concert
at SunFest in 2013. The show was amazing — in the dictionary sense of the word. Corgan belted
out their quirky, timeless classics with his incomparable, beautifully-haunting cadence, and we
rocked every second of it. Given the recent tour announcement, the anticipation of witnessing
three of the founding members perform “Tonight, Tonight” (which is my favorite Pumpkins tune
and video) completely disarms me and makes me wait with bated breath for the magic that looms
just over the horizon.
