The residents of Asheville and the rest of North Carolina should thank their lucky “Starz.” Following the Smashing Pumpkins’ breakup in 2000 and the mixed results of Billy Corgan’s supergroup Zwan, Corgan and Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin reformed the group in 2006 with new additions Ginger Reyes on bass and Jeff Schroeder on guitar. In support of their upcoming album “Zeitgeist,” the Pumpkins came to Asheville for nine dates.
I’ll admit I’m only a casual Pumpkins fan. Until recently I’ve only legitimately owned one record, that one being the greatest hits compilation, “Rotten Apples”, and the accompanying rarities disc, “Judas O.” I’m not really an authority on the Smashing Pumpkins’ career or their large catalogue, but I do love their second album, “Siamese Dream,” especially songs like “Cherub Rock,” “Geek U.S.A.,” and a song I like to call “Silverfriend” when in the company of children.
My girlfriend and I hit I-40 to catch the June 29 show. Friday night and Saturday afternoon we wandered around downtown Asheville, hoping to catch a glimpse of Billy Corgan’s shiny bald head.
We arrived at the Orange Peel in the late afternoon to get in an already long line, but the Orange Peel Krewe was very much on top of things. Krewemembers checked IDs and slapped plastic bracelets on, and they even had a refreshments table and two port-a-johns set up outside. After an hour-long wait in the hot sun, we were inside.
Regrettably the opening band was not Deerhunter, as I had previously imagined, but instead the local Asheville drum circle. Deerhunter had opened for the Pumpkins the previous night and were scheduled to play at our show, but for whatever reason they didn’t return (I’ve since heard rumors that Billy Corgan told them not to come back). Instead of Joy Division-inspired ambient noise rock, the audience was subjected to an hour-long set of old hippies playing drums.
As it turns out, Billy went down to wherever the drum circle usually meets the previous night and invited them to come play. Giving them an hour to play was a mistake, though. They certainly had a lot of fun playing for the crowd, but it wasn’t mutual. The people all around me were bored, and they were making it known. “F— this band!” someone from further back screamed several times.
Mercifully the drum circle’s set ended, and after a short wait, Billy and the Pumpkins took stage and rocked for a solid three hours, playing two full sets and two encores. The highlights were the hits: “Today,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “1979,” “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” and “Zero.” A tease of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” segued into an extended version of “Silverf—” featuring a cover of The Doors’ “The End” during the middle.
After the first set, we retreated from our position close to the stage, opting to hang out in the back, where it wasn’t as cramped or hot. 15 minutes later, the Pumpkins took the stage again, but much of their second set was plagued by sound problems. The PA cut in and out during several songs, forcing the band to stop and completely killing momentum. During this downtime, the Pumpkins doodled around onstage, playing teases of several classic rock hits from Led Zeppelin to Black Sabbath to Deep Purple.
Despite this downtime, the sound problems persisted for the rest of the set. We left just after “Drown,” right before the end of the second set. I’ve since looked at the complete set list for the show, and part of me wishes we’d stuck around to hear both the encores: the Pumpkins played “Cherub Rock,” “Untitled,” and the 20-something minute long Floydian jam “Gossamer”.
After the drum circle, and when everything worked, the show was a blast. Billy Corgan appeared to have a lot of fun playing — he joked around with bandmembers and with the crowd. At one point early in the second set, he noted, “I think I smell weed” and gave a small, awkward laugh.
I’m satisfied. They played “Silverf—,” “Drown”, “1979,” and “Tonight, Tonight”. I wished they played “Thirty-three” and “Geek U.S.A.,” but that’s not a big deal. Not all of our dreams can come true, but most of mine did.