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Review and photos by Frances Sealy The last time The Smashing Pumpkins performed in Tucson was in 2010. It was little wonder that tickets sold out within one hour of tickets going on sale. Guitarist James Iha mentioned that the concert was the "fastest selling show ever." The band has given the world their signature contribution to alt-rock which was borrowed from their mainstream colleagues of heavy metal, psychedelic and arena rock, dream pop and sprinkles of goth to create their guitar-driven sound.This tour celebrates the 30th anniversary of the band. Three of the founding members are in the band, James Iha on guitar, Jimmy Chamberlin on drums and Billy Corgan on guitar and lead vocals. Jack Bates is the touring bassist. There was a glaring absence of longtime bassist, D'Arcy Wretzky. Jeff Schroeder was the third guitarist and stayed with the band after the return of Iha. New songs are being introduced this tour from the Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1/LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. album, that was released within the last month, and the response has been predominantly positive. The show opened with "Solara" the first single from the album. Corgan was sporting a floor-length red silk smock. Images were projected on a screen in the background and LED lights were flashing in various locations on the stage. Some of the images were split positive and negative pics of Corgan in his youth. The fans were packed in the medium sized venue, but they were in a Smashing Pumpkins 'reverie' as their heroes played on. The band reached back to the '90s, with their celebrated "Zero" and "Today." Let's not forget the career defining "1979" and "Ava Adore." With three guitars, the band has expanded their sound. They rocked with explosive moments during "Tonight, Tonight," "Cherub Rock," and "Heavy Metal Machine." Depeche Mode's "Never Let Me Down Again" and The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love" were the only cover songs in the set. There was very little if any banter during the show while the Pumpkins focused on their intensely brutal delivery. They were able to slide their new songs into their set of monster hits without losing any momentum. |
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1. Solara 2. Zero 3. Today 4. Never Let Me Down Again (Depeche Mode cover) 5. Knights of Malta 6. Tonight, Tonight 7. Dross 8. Friday I'm in Love (The Cure cover) |
9. Disarm 10. Bullet With Butterfly Wings 11. Porcelina of the Vast Oceans 12. Travels 13. Cherub Rock 14. 1979 15. Ava Adore 16. Heavy Metal Machine Encore: 17. Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts) |
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