Regardless of where you see the Smashing Pumpkins current reunion tour, it is one for the ages. Spanning more than 30 songs and approaching three hours in length, it’s a dream for fans of the band, as the group plays a wide array of hits and rarities with grand production and most of their classic lineup.
But this week in Holmdel, New Jersey, the band is performing what they’re dubbing as a special 30th-anniversary concert in the middle of their arena run, taking place at PNC Bank Arts Center on Thursday, August 6. The set will feature a ton of special guests, but the most intriguing name on the list has to be legendary Hole frontperson Courtney Love.
Yes, Courtney Love, whose relationship with Corgan has been well-documented and full of various highs and lows. Among the highs are two runs of romantic involvement, both before and after her marriage to the late Kurt Cobain, as well as collaborative work on Hole’s album Celebrity Skin. Among the lows are several bouts of slander in the media, including a Twitter tirade and a Facebook apology, and strange breakup stories.
News that the two will perform together this week is a welcome new development in one of the most complicated, long-running relationships in rock and roll history, and certainly gives the Smashing Pumpkins reunion even more historical weight. In addition to Love, the Pumpkins will also be joined by Deftones leader Chino Moreno, AFI frontperson Davey Havok, The Killers’ Dave Keuning and Mark Stoermer, Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath (who already cameos during the Pumpkins set nightly during weird video appearances), and Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook (whose son is playing in the Pumpkins touring band). Exactly what songs these many guests will appear on remains to be seen, but as the recent small club gig in Los Angeles, Havok joined the band for a cover of Joy Division’s “Transmission,” so that seems like a safe guess considering the personnel involved.
Tickets for this show, and many other of the Smashing Pumpkins reunion dates, as currently on sale. If you are a fan, this is simply a must-see run.
