Smashing Pumpkins Preview Summer Tour With Show At Viper Room In Hollywood

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS gave fans a taste of what to expect on their summer tour–which kicks off Tuesday 7/6 in Cleveland–last night (6/30) in Los Angeles with a nearly 90-minute sold-out and critically acclaimed show at the Viper Room.  Fans who missed this will have an opportunity to catch the band when they return to Los Angeles Saturday, August 28 to headline and close down Sunset Blvd. for the final performance at the third Sunset Strip Music Festival.

“Exhilarating” and “ferocious” are among the adjectives used by writers who were there, as frontman/singer/guitarist BILLY CORGAN, guitarist JEFF SCHROEDER, drummer MIKE BYRNE and new bassist NICOLE FIORENTINO tore through new songs and the band’s storied catalog.

Here are some observations from last night:

“…exhilarating performance…The frontman and guitarist Jeff Schroeder–who besides Corgan is the only holdover from the Pumpkins’ 20th anniversary tour in 2008–engaged in dueling pyrotechnics on ‘Ava Adore’ and the new ‘Song for a Son.’ New bassist Nicole Fiorentino’s thick lines stood out in ‘Ava Adore’ and the intro to the metal marvel ‘United States.’ And Jimmy Chamberlin’s replacement on drums, wunderkind Mike Byrne, was nothing short of wild child all evening…With the likes of Perry Farrell and Matt Sorum watching from the VIP tables, Corgan was mostly smiles and shredding on this night. He wedged the line ‘Oh, California, look what you’ve done to me’ into ‘Owata’; he seemed to delight in the unholy crunch of ‘Cherub Rock’; and he put more blood in the opening line of ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ than three vampire movies combined. The new material–the Pumpkins played three of the four songs on the new EP, ‘Teargarden by Kaleidyscope Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor’–fit in seamlessly with the old…”

Kevin Bronson, Spin.com

“Opening with the new ‘Astral Planes,’ the Pumpkins’s new lineup showed it may be the best since the original version in the ’90s made the band icons of the alternative scene. The musical interaction between the four was excellent, breathing new energy into songs like ‘Ava Adore,’ ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ and a ferocious ‘United States,’ as well as a crunching ‘Cherub Rock’ that had the Viper Room insane. But just as importantly, Corgan seemed to be having a great time with his new band, proving downright amiable at times.”

Steve Baltin, AOL.com “Spinner”

“Their live show is one of the reasons The Pumpkins remain one of the greatest bands of all time proudly brandishing a sound and catalog that’s etched their place alongside Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd in the pantheon. The Viper Room show solidified their legacy even further…Corgan’s poignant lyrics took center stage and the psychedelic propulsion showed a band that’s raw, real and ready to take the world over—again. They started that road to domination here in The Viper Room, and those lucky enough to see it won’t ever forget it.”

Rick Florino, Artistdirect.com

In late May the Pumpkins released the four-song TEARGARDEN BY KALEIDYSCOPE VOL.1: SONGS FOR A SAILOR EP (Martha’s Music/Rocket Science Ventures). This is the first of an eventual 11 specially packaged EPs–taken from the in-progress 44-song work TEARGARDEN BY KALEIDYSCOPE–to be sold in record stores. Notably, all the music is being is released online, for free, with no strings attached.

The group’s tour schedule includes an array of headlining U.S. dates including a July 26 New York City headlining show forSpin magazine’s SPIN25 series and two festivals in Japan.

DATE                         CITY                                       VENUE

Tue      7/6                   Cleveland, OH                         House of Blues

Thu      7/8                   Grand Rapids, MI                    Orbit Room

Fri        7/9                   Columbus, OH                        Newport Music Hall

Sat       7/10                 Louisville, KY                           Forecastle Festival

Mon     7/12                 Baltimore, MD                         Rams Head Live

Tue      7/13                 Richmond, VA                         The National

Thu      7/15                 Norfolk, VA                              The Norva

Fri        7/16                 Charlotte, NC                          Fillmore

Sat       7/17                 Charleston, SC                       Music Farm

Mon     7/19                 Orlando, FL                             House of Blues

Tue      7/20                 Ft. Lauderdale, FL                   Revolution

Wed    7/21                 Tampa, FL                              Ritz

Fri        7/23                 Knoxville, TN                           Valarium

Sat       7/24                 Pittsburgh, PA                         Mr. Smalls Theatre

Mon     7/26                 New York, NY                          Terminal 5

Thu      8/5                   Singapore                                Singfest

Sat       8/7                   Tokyo                                      Marine Stadium / Messe

Sun      8/8                   Osaka                                     Maishima / Summer Sonic

Sat       8/14                 Seoul, Korea                           Chamsil Gymnasium

Sat       8/28                 Los Angeles, CA                     Sunset Strip Music Festival

Viper Room set list:
1. Astral Planes
2. Ava Adore
3. Hummer
4. As Rome Burns
5. A Song for a Son
6. Bleeding the Orchid
7. Stand Inside Your Love
8. Bullet With Butterfly Wings
9. Widow Wake My Mind
10. Perfect
11. Owata
12. Cherub Rock
13. That’s the Way (My Love Is)
14. United States
15. Love Is the Sweetest Thing [solo ukulele]
www.smashingpumpkins.com