Even in the early ’90s, as Smashing Pumpkins were just becoming one of the leading acts in the “Alternative music revolution,” mastermind Billy Corgan had a contentious relationship with the press. When 1993’s Siamese Dream was coming out, the knock was that he was a control freak, something that became a primary focus of early press attacks. His candor and forthrightness is probably what made (and continues to make) him an easy target — he’s great at giving soundbite pull-quotes that can be easily amplified, something that has to be even more difficult to deal with for an honest artist in the social media age.
All of this has somewhat overshadowed (especially for casual listeners or non-fans) the music Corgan has made in more recent years. Which is unfortunate, because he continues to release some strong recordings with his rotating lineup of Pumpkins. Corgan’s music has always had a beautiful and poetic emotional core, and the basic parts of his sound — elements of Hard Rock and dashes of Psychedelia, sublime melodies and, at least in the past decade or so, flourishes of Electronic music and synthesizers — still remain. The past two Smashing Pumpkins’ albums — 2012’s Oceania and last year’s Monuments to an Elegy — have been very well-received by those who’ve actually listened to them (namely, critics without axes to grind).
Though he fought it for a while, Corgan appears to have accepted the notion that fans coming to see Smashing Pumpkins largely want to hear their old favorites. Leading up to the band’s current tour with Marilyn Manson, Corgan told Entertainment Weekly, “It took me a long time to make peace with the idea of celebrating the moment, and understanding that there are times to push artistically, and in a general context (big tours are) just not that space any more.”
The setlists on this tour (which ends at Riverbend this weekend) are dominated by vintage Pumpkins tracks, and original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin — one of the more identifiable and musical drummers in recent Rock history — is back with the group for this jaunt, which should further please longtime fans. Reviews from the tour have been largely mixed for Manson’s more theatrical set (Manson has been playing first), but Corgan and Co.’s performances have been drawing almost universal praise. Embracing the past — without desperately “chasing” it — seems to suit Corgan well.
This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2015.