It’s not often you look back at choices you made when you were 11 or 12 and think, “I knew what I was doing, no regrets!”
Back in 1995, I was definitely not in control of 90% of my life. I didn’t drive; I didn’t have a job. I was at the mercy of whatever and wherever my parents said. The one thing that I could control was the music I listened to. Enter: Smashing Pumpkins. 11-year-old Pat saw “Tonight, Tonight” on MTV in heavy rotation. It was the coolest video I had ever seen. It was old-timey and modern at the same time. I would wait by my radio, hoping to hear “1979” being played by WMMS (back when they used to play music).
The ‘wait-and-see’ wasn’t cutting it. Finally, I saved up enough money from mowing the lawn, got on my bike, and rode down Mayfield Road to the local Record Exchange. I bought ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.’ A DOUBLE ALBUM! I only had three CDs before this very moment, and now, I was bringing home the ability to play “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” ANY. TIME. I. WANTED.
The infatuation continued. Frontman Billy Corgan‘s voice became the sound of my teens. Jimmy Chamberlin‘s drumming influenced me to become a drummer myself. (I was also sold by his Yamaha endorsement!) Guitarist James Iha was the mystique, and former bassist D’Arcy Wretzky was one of my first crushes (right after Inspector Gadget’s niece, Penny).
As I look back 30 years later, I can say to myself, “No Notes!’ I thought then what I still think now. This band is amazing. Their songs are heavy and soft at the same time. I made the right call and backed the right horse. I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen the band a handful of times.
There is an old adage, “Never meet your heroes.” To quote a high school friend of mine, “That’s the bullest crap ever!”
Separately, I’ve had the good fortune to meet its members.
My first interview with Corgan was in person prior to him hosting a Pay-Per-View event of his AEW brand wrestling league, broadcast live from Cleveland. The interview focused on his unusual side project, rather than the music I have been a fan of for so long, which is the equivalent of pulling a Zune from an MP3 player case filled with iPods in 2008.
Prior to that, I ran into Chamberlin and Iha for a quick photo op after a show at Blossom Music Center. (See below; in the photo with James and me, his facial excitement could only be matched by someone who had recently had their cat run over by a car.)
Corgan is on the road with a new project, Billy Corgan and The Machines of God. This is essentially a solo project with a new backing band, playing (almost exclusively) Smashing Pumpkins songs. (Confused? You’re not alone.)
Solo projects are always an experiment. While the voice of a group may have it the easiest to tour solo, there is always an essence to the band that will be missing. Solo artists also often play solo songs that aren’t of the band they originated. Corgan has put out (and toured) music under his own name and recorded and played with his short-live side project, Zwan in 2002-2003. These tours included songs from their monikers, with little to no Pumpkins’ tunes in the mix.
The Machines of God aren’t James or Jimmy (D’Arcy hasn’t been with the band since before Y2K).
What was the reason that Billy was venturing off on his own?
READ OUR PRE-SHOW INTERVIEW WITH CORGAN
Long story short: At some point, Smashing Pumpkins members collectively agreed not to do anything that they weren’t in agreement on. Corgan wanted to tour with a setlist of primarily deep cuts, with a few hits sprinkled in. The rest of the band wasn’t on board. Corgan set sail on his own.
Yes, fans always want to hear the hits; the popular songs that they know and love. They don’t want to hear exclusively the songs they would need to skip over on their Sony Discman. This as exactly the goal of this tour. Deep cuts. A nightmare for casual fans; a dream come true for longtime, diehard fans, such as this reviewer! Not only were songs that haven’t seen the light of day in recent years the star of the show, this tour sees Corgan scaling down to intimate venues instead of arenas (or even stadiums, like his 2024 tour with Green Day).
The House of Blues was a comfortable level of “sold out.” There may have been a handful of tickets still available, but it was as full as possible while still allowing for a comfortable viewing experience. When this venue is sold out, it is SOLD THE F* OUT! (Can someone please call the Fire Marshall?)
A 6’3 Corgan emerged backstage, wearing a gray trench coat, a one-piece item he’s known for. Joining him is the amazing and brilliant Kiki Wong, who joined Smashing Pumpkins as a touring member a little over one year ago after an open audition process.
New to accompanying Corgan are Cleveland native Jenna Fournier (aka Kid Tigrrr) on bass, alongside Jake Hayden on drums. Corgan noted and praised Fournier’s Cleveland connection more than once during the show. (Of note: I wanted to discuss this in the pre-show phone interview, but Billy was more interested in discussing recent developments in AI.)
This tour is an amalgamation of new and old. The A Return to Zero trek is a greatest non-hits tour, if you will.
Celebrating 25 years, the moniker’s namesake, ‘Machina/The Machines of God,’ and 30 years of ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,’ were in heavy rotation for this tour. These anniversaries were albums that came out longer than Fournier has been alive and Wong was relatively new to the planet.. As the band kicks off, “Glass’ Theme,” from ‘‘Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music,’ was the first entry on the setlist.
Quick side note about Machina II: As it stands, it was the official sixth album the band released. It was also the last album Wretzky played on. Due to legal issues with the record label, the music was released for free. 25 vinyl LPs were pressed and are free to be distributed digitally for the fans. This album is not available on streaming services, and while one can still find old websites offering the MP3, so much of this album has been lost over time. It’s not until literally this tour that this album is finally being released physically to the public. This is exclusively through Billy’s tea shop, Madame Zuzu’s. The box set will set one back over $300! (Approximately 60 cups of tea.)
The setlist stuck to its mission. Featuring early songs from Machina and Mellon Collie. “Heavy Metal Machine” was probably the most recognizable for fans who are familiar with Machina. Songs like “The Crying Tree of Mercury” haven’t been played live since 2014. Seven songs in, and one of my rare favorites was “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans,” an 11-minute opus that I used to listen to on 10-hour vacation car rides during family vacations to help pass the time!
“Only eight more Porcelina’s until we get there!”
Some newer songs also made the setlist. Songs like “999” from 2024’s ‘Aghori Mhori Mei’ are less than a year old. Fournier lent her vocals to that album, as she did on this tour.
Even though this tour claimed to be a night of rare tracks, Corgan gave the casual fans (and, let’s be honest, the diehards as well) with smash hits including“Bullet with Butterfly Wings” and “1979.”
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Some notable highlights throughout the show was an acoustic version of “Tonight, Tonight.” With Corgan on acoustic guitar with Fournier joining in on vocals. An amazing rendition of the aforementioned “1979” was another favorite.
The night concluded with one of the most energetic songs ever recorded by the band. A song that kicked off the Machina album, “Everlasting Gaze,” was once an anthem that showcased the return of Jimmy Chamberlin to the band after a three year hiatus, an”I’m back!” drumming symphony of technical skill. The Machines of God used it to close the night on a high note. Hayden did his best to cover the song as close to Charmberlin as possible. Let’s be honest: Hayden will never, never, never be confused for Mr. Chamberlin.
It was certainly a thrill to see Corgan embark on a pathway of often neglected songs. The show checked every box that it set out to do.
The show was back to basics, or as Corgan called it, “A Return to Zero.” Simple lighting structure, four musicians, and a setlist of Pumpkins music that has never been oversaturated… The show was fantastic. The fans loved the blending of new and old, popular and gems. Corgan’s two young children even made a cameo; fighting for attention on stage like brothers and sisters should! Every single person at the House of Blues tonight was having a good time. It was a new and unique experience with the right amount of nostalgia. Which is the point, isn’t it?
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