Recommendations of the Editorial team
The albums of the Smashing Pumpkins don’t sell too well anymore, so Billy Corgan can now be who he wants. He was, showing early YouTube videos from the then still long-haired 16-year-old Corgan, always a metalhead. Ozzy is dead, Corgan was there in Birmingham, and so he now comes on stage with a nostalgic gesture: he shows the frame fork gesture. In the heart more hard rock than alternative rock. The first two pieces of the Berlin concert are programmatic. In “Glass Theme” Corgan sings in the chorus “Rock and Roll!”, And song number two is already in the title: “Heavy Metal Machine”.
Rock gestures and unequal attention
New guitarist Kiki Wong encourages his hands-over-the-head clapping, also a rock gesture-still unthinkable in the indie scene of the 1990s. A miserable that the Wong canvas does not show in a single close -up. Just as little as bassist Jack Bates.
And why not? Because, unlike Corgan, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, they are not founding members of the band. Not everyone is the same with the pumpkins.
The smashing pumpkins are usually not band that three guitarists need. However, since Wong takes over the (live missing) keyboard parts on her guitar, in contrast to Oldie James Ihan has a lot of solos to play, as in “Tonight, Tonight”, it is almost bitter that she does not get its own transmission. She does not pay attention to silver back Corgan anyway.
Focus on anniversary ointments
The focus of the 2025 tour of the Smashing Pumpkins is the songs of the anniversary ointments “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” (1995) and “Machina: The Machines of God” (2000). “Machina” was recently published in a magnificent deluxe version, but took a long time due to the high price (signed “Machina” box for around 600 euros) to get the “Sold Out” sticker on the homepage.
Corgan scorches are telling wonderful stories. The stage director has not failed here, because Corgan’s guitars can be seen in a long time. On a guitar, an Obi-Wan-Kenobi sticker sticks next to one of Rush. Another shows stickers from Jesus, Micky Mouse and a Pentagram, glued next to each other right next to each other. Corgan loves Disney, he is a Republican, but not undoubtedly religious (the “Machina II” song “If there is a God”) is part of the setlist, and he flirts with satanic symbols and teenously formulated death romance (the line “Love Is Suicide” in “Bodies”).
Humor and “Burg” discussion
James Iha is responsible for the straight face jokes of the pumpkins, but you have to come from far outside of Berlin, probably from the American continent to really think of the Zitadelle Spandau for a castle or a castle-“We’re happy to be here at the castle, let’s rock!”. Corgan and Iha know the German term “castle”, remind of the “castle” in Ludwigsburg, where they have already occurred. With the Berlin cover of “Take My Breath Away” they prove again humor (honestly, the song could also have appeared on “ADORE”), an immortal song, the second most famous song that begins with “Take” after “Take on Me”. It’s a shame that the cheers are not even greater, since the pumpkins perform a song by the band Berlin in Berlin.
Better than in the previous year
This concert of the Smashing Pumpkins is good, better than the appearance in Berlin’s Wuhlheide last year, V0R twice as many people. The author of these lines still remembers the shitstorm after the review, just because the wheide appearance was described as rather routine than inspired (the shit storm was only greater after the review of the Cure concert in the London troxy, just because the appearance was rather well-taught than was specially described).
The pumpkins can publish as many mediocre albums every one year as they want, “atum”, “Aghori Mhori Mei”-it is not soothing that they are still high in frequency, but that the publications prove that life is still in the band and that Corgan still gives concerts.
Heavenly conclusion?
“What a wonderful evening,” says Billy Corgan and points to the blue sky. One of the few blue Berlin skies for a month. “I myself stopped the rain.” James Iha replies: “That was a wise decision”.
A decision. So Corgan had the choice. So Corgan could have decided otherwise. For fall streams. A subtle, humorous criticism of the rental guitarist Iha. Because his boss Corgan masters the weather, the god is.