Smashing Pumpkins, The – Stockholm, Sweden 2011 – The Other Side of the Kaleidyscope

By Peter Andersson

I was kind of disappointed with the Smashing Pumpkins when they played in Stockholm last week. It’s harsh to say that the concert was a disaster, but I believe that most of the audience was expecting something else because many of them looked disappointed and even sleepy, while some of them closed their eyes and embraced the new spiritual sound of the band.

Front man Billy Corgan has changed the Smashing Pumpkins’ sound so many times that it is hard to figure out what type of music they play right now. If you have to describe it, it would have to be something like spiritual-electronica prog rock. Very strange.

This was a night for the true hardcore fans and people who never heard Smashing Pumpkins before, they are the ones that would more likely have a good time at the show than the old school fans who liked Smashing Pumpkins when they recorded legendary albums like Siamese Dreams and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

When you grew up with the Smashing Pumpkins’ greatness, it might be hard to embrace the new sound. Still, when Billy Corgan and the new line-up of the band entered the stage in front of nearly two thousand people at the Annexet Arena, there was a cool feeling of anticipation in my still beating 90’s heart at seeing one of my favorite lead singers on a small and cozy stage.

I waited and waited for them to play some of their beloved classics like Bullet with Butterfly Wings or Disarm, but my waiting was in vain. The band played only new songs for two hours and then left the stage without saying anything, no encore, no nothing. I didn’t understand. Is this nonchalance part of the act? Or, does he want to leave his loyal fans and seek a new audience? If so, why doesn’t he just change the band’s name? It’s sad to think that people will remember this form of Smashing Pumpkins and not the 90’s Smashing Pumpkins.

4 Responses

  1. Eduardo says:

    What a terrible review! Out of 19 songs played, 11 of them were from the 90s, only 8 new ones. The crowd was so weak they made Stockholm the only gig so far through the whole tour not to have an encore. I was lucky to see them in Oslo as well, where they came back on stage and played another 2 songs from Pisces Iscariot and Mellon Collie (Pissant and Bullet with Butterfly Wings), as they’ve been doing everywhere else.

    • Peter says:

      @Eduardo, Hi Eduardo. Im sorry that you didn’t like my review. I am also sorry if I didnt recognize the songs I thought was new. But you have to remember that the review is based on the opinion of one person, and it is up to you to decide if you agree or disagree. Best regards /Peter

      • Eduardo says:

        @Peter, I could not disagree more with you. If you’re writing for a magazine, the reader does not see your name, but the magazine’s, which is public. Of course the magazine has the right to its own opinions, and so do you, but you have the responsibility to stay true to facts, and not make them up.

        • Peter says:

          @Eduardo, I see your point, however I dont see it that way. I wrote that review and I take responsibility for what I write. I have also explained that I mistook the old songs for new ones, and I am sorry for that, but thats not the same thing as making facts up. I would also be disappointed if a band I liked got bad reviews, but I have too be honest in my opinions..

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