Just weeks after Billy Corgan’s thrilling announcement of the "Night of Melon Collie and Infinite Sadness" with Chicago’s Lyric Opera House, he has given us news of a tour in June, as a solo act, accompanied by his new band, The Machines of God.
There won’t be any Jimmy Chamberlain or James Iha on this tour, for whatever reason, but Smashing Pumpkins’ newly acquired guitarist, Kiki Wong will be the second guitarist in the band.
It is a tour dubbed A Return To Zero, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the double disc Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and the 25th anniversary of the Machina/The Machines of God. The tour will contain many of the hits off those albums, as well as songs from the most recent Smashing Pumpkins record, Aghori Mhori Mei.
New shows with Billy Corgan and The Machines of God promise to satisfy
They start in Baltimore on June 7 and end in Minneapolis on June 29. In June, they will also play festival sets at Taste of Joliet in Joliet, Illinois, and Summerfest in Milwaukee.
Billy Corgan has always been one to continue the show, with whatever lineup best fits with his vision, but here’s to hoping that the Smashing Pumpkins will continue with Iha and Chamberlain. The Smashing Pumpkins have certainly been around for a good, long time, so any shows or albums from here on out are just a bonus to all the great stuff that they have offered us so far.
The shows for this tour appear to be happening in smaller venues than the arenas that the Pumpkins are used to filling, which promises a satisfying intimacy and absolute face-melting quality, both to this run of shows. Through all of the changes that the Smashing Pumpkins have been through, there remain fans, new and old, who are faithful to the band and their long list of songs, so I wonder if this tour of shows will sell out.
In line with the long list of songs, Billy Corgan is also releasing an expansive 80-song box set featuring a 48-track Machina along with 32 bonus tracks, including outtakes, demos, and live performances, which will be available in his Madame Zuzu’s tea shop. Thirty-plus years later, Billy Corgan is still entertaining the masses with his gothic, alternative flair.