Smashing Pumpkins

Review of their gig in the Olympia, Dublin, Nov. 6th 2000

The Pumpkins suck donkey ass.

Don't get me wrong, I love Billy and co. Well, their pre-Adore stuff anyway. And live, well, I've a few bootlegs - they're one of the more interesting bands to listen to bootlegs of, as they generally do interesting re-workings of songs, etc.

However tonight at their last ever European gig, there wasn't much that they played that they enjoyed. They did, however, play Siva, which was amazing. Asides from that, they played their boring reworking of Bullet..., a shite version of Today (it did nay rock at all), and an "album perfect" versions and 1979 (ableit a bit speedier) which was boring really (aside from Jimmy - the drumming on 1979 was amazing to watch, it was just a blur, and it was played even with acoustic guitar!). They crucified Porcelina - they left out all the rock, but included double portions of the guitar noodling. Some of the rest was mildly interesting, but it reeked a bit too much of silly guitar/keyboard w*nking, it definitely got a bit tiresome. They played a few tracks off "Machina 2", the forthcoming final album (which sounded like the same pissy "industrial" crap on the last two albums) and some Peter Gabriel cover.

The other saving grace, aside from Siva, was James. In pretty much the only interesting band-crowd dialogue (aside from the clich? "Introducing the band" stuff before 1979), Billy prompted Mr. Iha to tell a joke, to which James started rambling about the fate of the Euro, the Millennium Dome, Guinness being like beer with a salad in it, about Posh and Becks ("He's a really good, uh, netball player"), the presidential election (applause when they apologised for being American in case Bush gets in), the weather, etc. etc.

I don't think I was disappointed as such - I don't like much of what they've released since Melon Collie - but knowing that you're watching one of the best rock bands of all time, who I'm sure remember how to play "Soma" (the version on their live video is just too good), "Bodies", "I am one", "Silverfuck", the version of "Disarm" that they played at Reading '95, "Hummer", etc. etc. just leaves you a bit numb when leaving the venue after two and a half hours of boring pseudo-industrial w*nk. The crowd-to-band dialog mainly consisted of people roaring "Soma!", "Disarm!", etc. Why couldn't the band listen?

Oh, and what is it with Smashing Pumpkin fans? The Olympia stank of BO, and there were a load of retards "head-banging" in their seats, raising their hands in Beavis and Butthead fashion, making a devil symbol - these people need to get a grip, stop watching MTV, and cop on that Beavis And Butthead is a parody mocking such sad cases.

Brian Scanlan

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