Final Show of the 2012 Oceania Tour in Brooklyn, NY

Because of Sandy, the Smashing Pumpkins performed their Halloween show about 2 months later.  It was the last performance from their 2012 Oceania Tour.  The show was video taped.  Hoepefully it will come out soon on video. My 2 cents:

The Good:

• The Smashing Pumpkins playing live!
• All the group members were top notch.  The drummer was fantastic, the bassist through some very beautiful noticeable lines here and there (not that easy with a bass) and her voice was perfect.  The guitarist was fine.  Actually he was excellent, but did not even need to be.  People think James was the guitar in the band: wrong!  He was merely a rythm guitarist trying to keep up with the lead guitarist and frontman Billy Corgan.
• The highlight of the night was definitely a perfect rendition of  "Tonight, Tonight"

The not so good:

• The venue, brand new Barclay's Center in Brooklyn was lame.  
• For one, the sound was way too low.  I listen to my stereo louder than that!
• Then, $13 for a small one shot drink with ice in a plastic cup was outrageous.
• Customer service: So I ordered my drink anyway.  They ask me for $14!  What? It said $13  on the cash register!  "Yes, but that's not the right price.  I did not accept the drink. She got pissed! So she poured me another drink, but this time, there was only half a shot in it and it was disgusting. I paid $13 for it  and she expected a tip!
  .
• The crowd, at least in New York, was DEAD, even thought the show was taped. Total Zombies. No one standing except on the main floor.  I'd never seen anything like it.  Then again, I had not been to an arena rock concert since The Cure or U2's Pop Tour or the 2-Day Tibet Freedom Concert on Randall's Island in the mid to late 90's.

OVERALL THOUGH, UNGORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE!!!

Videos from the show coming soon...

the Smashing Pumpkins are coming to New York!

The Smashing Pumpkins are coming to New York, on October 31st!  What could be better than going to a Smashing Pumpkins show on Halloween night?  The place is Barclay's Center in Brooklyn.  To celebrate, a look back at the Smashing Pumpkins when their second album "Siamese Dreams" came out, about two decades ago!  Two decades?  I feel like this was yesterday.  Oh well...

So here's a the full Smashing Pumpkins show live at the Metro in Chicago, in 1993:

I found out recently that Billy had a little brother with a rare case of Down syndrome. At 39:00 (on the video), before playing "Spaceboy", Billy tells the audience he wrote this song about his brother, Jessie. I've listened to "Spaceboy" a million times, and I love it more every time. There was always something about it that I could relate to emotionally, like "We won't belong, we won't belong..." perhaps because I too have a little brother with Down syndrome an the truth is neither of us belong or ever will (at least not me)

The Oceania Tour: "Cherub Rock" @ Perth, AU 07/26/12

This is Cherub Rock, the opening song of their second album "Siamese Dreams" (early 90's). The video was the first clip I could find showing the new set and light show, from a performance in Perth, Australia, on July 26 2012. More coming soon. Turn the volume all the way up, lock your door in case your neighbors are idiots like mine, hit "full screen, set quality to 480p if you have broadband internet, put some sunglasses on, and last but not least, enjoy!

The Oceania Tour: "Disarm" in Sydney, AU 08/31/12

The Oceania Tour: "Tonight, Tonight" @ Syney, AU 07/31/12..