Rotting Pumpkins

When I learned that the Smashing Pumpkins were going to be playing a pair of anniversary dates at the United Palace Theater, I was, needless to say, pumped. Along with Oasis, these guys were my rock idols in 1996 (I think this point has been driven home just a few times), and I was absolutely blown away when I saw them at The Brendan Byrne Arena (now IZOD Center) during their Mellon Collie tour. This was, of course, before D'Arcy and James Iha left the band, and way before they began to dabble in electronica. This was pure, unadulterated Pumpkins -- a rock and roll machine that could not be stopped. Until, of course it was. The Pumpkins started to rot, and were eventually replaced by more marketable blends of "nu-metal" that made Corgan's distinctive whine seem stale. The head-scratching appeal of Korn and Limp Bizkit reigned in these years, forcing bands like the Pumpkins to hang it up.

But like any band desperate take advantage of fomer die-hards' cash, the "Smashing Pumpkins" reunited last year, albeit with only half the classic lineup. Sure, there were new members that resembled Iha and D'Arcy, but this unfortunately didn't quite cut the mustard. Holes were left unfilled, and this took a serious toll on the band's sound. Zeitgeist was a failure that resembled the very "cock rock" that dethroned the band's original creative sound. With all this being said, I decided it was better to keep my fond memories of the Pumpkins in my heart, and not try to replace them with newer, inferior ones. I made the painstaking decision to not even attempt to get tickets to these "intimate" anniversary concerts. If early reviews are any indicators of the shows I missed, I am beginning to think I made the absolute right decision.

Apparently, Corgan is still the same ego-maniac that destroyed the Pumpkins the first time around. Bypassing the very classics these shows were organized to celebrate, Corgan opted to scatter the setlist with cacaphonous, experimental noise that rendered many in attendance speechless. Sure the crowd got its fill of the occasional hit, but these moments were apparently overshadowed by terrible covers, out-of-tune jams, and a host of mediocre new tunes. But here's the kicker -- on Friday night, Corgan chilidishly invited a heckling fan onstage. When the fan told him to his face that the previous night's show "sucked," Corgan lampooned the fan with some pretty disparaging and homophobic remarks that would have made Josh Homme proud. Take a look at the video:

This sad, embarrassing display just goes to show that you can never go home again.