Smashing Pumpkins Make a Grand Return

It Happened Last Night

Smashing Pumpkins Make a Grand Return

ASHEVILLE: The new lineup indulge themselves, fans on night one at the Orange Peel.

By Spin Staff 06.25.07 3:00 AM

"I'm going to ask your indulgence now...for a change," said Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan Saturday night (June 23) as the newly reunited foursome made their U.S. performance debut since their 2000 farewell gigs. The difficult personality Corgan alluded to might have soured original Pumpkins James Iha and D'Arcy Wretzky, who aren't taking part in this reunion, but the full house was eating out of his hand. On the opening night of a nine-date residency at the Orange Peel, the Pumpkins brought out the old, the new, and the very new, playing hits such as "Zero" and "Disarm" along with material from the forthcoming Zeitgeist, including pinch-hitting first single "Tarantula." After the plea for indulgence, Corgan even played a soft number he'd written the day before. It seems as if the Chicago alt-rock behemoth, at times, seemed to overwhelm the tiny club with an arena-ready set, but the smiles on the faces in the crowd -- graying Gen-Xers and whippersnapper hipsters alike -- made it obvious that it didn't matter. JEFFREY PARKER / PHOTOS BY EMILY STAMBAUGH

We asked: Who or what would you like to smash, and why?

Name: Matthew Fugel
Age: 21
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Occupation: Computers
"The dude from My Chemical Romance, because he's talking crap about Marilyn Manson, he's dressing up like Billy, and I think My Chemical Romance kind of sucks."

Name: Adam Coker
Age: 27
Hometown: Augusta, GA
Occupation: Electrical engineer
"An emo kid, [like my wife's] little brother -- the tight pants and all that. They're wearing girl pants."

Name: Parker Millar
Age: 22
Hometown: Greenville, NC
Occupation: Writer
"Corporate America, because they're sucking the lifeblood out of this country."

Name: Kelli Dawkins
Age: 48
Hometown: Rock Hill, SC
Occupation: Dean of students
"I don't know. I don't have smashing tendencies. Smashing some food between my teeth right now would be really great."

Name: Jack Ramshaw
Age: 21
Hometown: Asheville, NC
Occupation: Filmmaker/grocery store clerk
"People's realities, because then they'll pick up the fragments and put them back together in a more interesting fashion."

Name: Nick Holliday
Age: 27
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
Occupation: Internet marketing
"Blackstone Headquarters, that private army place based in North Carolina. They're bastards."