Gig Review: Smashing Pumpkins
- Posted on February 18, 2008 2:08 PM
- 0 comments
Smashing Pumpkins
MEN Arena, February 15th.
Review by Ed Sohoglu
The reformation of seminal alt-rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins, has seen them take in dates all across the US and Europe, with further dates planned in locations as far flung as Australia and New Zealand. I was there to see them perform at Manchester’s Evening News (MEN) Arena on Friday (February 15), for their penultimate UK show.
The set lasted an impressive two hours, with tracks spanning the entire breadth of their ten year career, from 1991’s ‘Gish’ right through to last years comeback, ‘Zeitgeist’.
Despite the obvious effort to cater for fans from each era of the band’s back catalogue, the band failed to connect with a large proportion of the arena. Whether this was due to the indulgent noise fest that concluded the set or the indifferent stage banter provided by front man Billy Corgan (“welcome to our rock n’ roll party, you are all lucky to be invited”), you got the distinct impression that the band would rather have been elsewhere.
Don’t get me wrong, relative to much of contemporary Rock music, this was a set still worth seeing. But as a long time supporter of the band, having seen Billy Corgan perform numerous times under various guises, I know that the band are capable of so much more. This of course, makes it all the more frustrating having to sit through a lacklustre set. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another break-up for Billy to realise what he’s got…
The Smashing Pumpkins
The O2 Arena
Saturday 16th February
Review by Zarina Raja
Having not read any reviews about The Smashing Pumpkin's recent performances, I was under the impression that their O2 Arena gig was going to blow me outside of my tiny mind.
This, however, was not the case.
I can’t bring myself to blame the band. They seemed to be tearing though their set, swiping and striking their guitars like playground bullies. They dipped in and out of various eras, swaggering through the heavier songs and gliding through the slower ones.
All this was obvious from where I was sitting, but I could have easily been watching them on TV in my living room. I wasn’t part of the obliterating set that was taking place in front of me. No-one was.
The air around me was dead; people were actually holding full blown conversations throughout the set and half the arena spent most their time milling back and forth to the bar. The floor of the O2 was pretty much at a standstill, apart from a small semi-circle of people bouncing around near the stage.
It was an enjoyable experience, like tea at your Grandmother's, but it didn’t grab me. People gently tapped their feet and clapped politely, not something that you would expect at a Smashing Pumpkins gig. It made me want to go home and listen to them really loud to reaffirm my Smashing Pumpkin belief.
As the above review correctly pointed out, Billy and friends were not connecting with the arena. If this had been at a venue a third of the size, it would have been an incredible gig. I do not doubt this. The absence of screens certainly didn’t help matters; there was simply nothing to clutch on to, making it easier to concentrate on the chatter that spilled through my row, than it was on Billy Corgan.
This is not to say there were no highlights; Today, Tarantula and The Way My Love Is were like having tea and cake at your Grandmothers. Rawk. The disappointment of Saturday’s gig will not, however, deter me from purchasing their new EP, American Gothic.
They are still an electrifying band, but not a band suitable for arena gigs.
Related links:
The Smashing Pumpkins tickets and listings.
Smashing Pumpkins MySpace.
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