So after last week’s random check-in blog post, I feel like I have been somewhat reconnected, so to speak, and kind of want to keep the momentum going, if possible. I do think that a large part of that, interestingly, was due to seeing Smashing Pumpkins last weekend in Duluth. It was the Shiny and Oh So Bright tour, which was touted as an almost-greatest hits tour, where they got (most) of the original band back together, and played only stuff from their first 5 albums, spanning from Gish through Machina/The Machines of God.
I had read that ticket sales were lackluster for the tour, but teenage me wanted to go for nostalgia’s sake, and I am so glad that I did; the night was fantastic, and they played hit after hit and fantastic deep album cuts (including my favorite song from Siamese Dream!) for a solid 3 hours! Any fan of their work during that time would have had a blast; which is exactly what I did. All in all, I am so glad that I went, because the concert was amazing; and as I said, teenage me would have been super pumped about that experience, and would have been really happy that I decided to go. Sound-wise, they sounded amazing, and considering that a lot of that material is between 18-27 years old (!!!), it was impressive that the magic was, and is still there.
What I didn’t really expect, however, was that the nostalgia effect turned into a renewed interest and exploration of their newer work, which I honestly overlooked prior to now; which includes pretty much anything after Mellon Collie, other than a few singles here and there. For whatever reason, I kind of snoozed on the band after Mellon Collie; perhaps like most other fans of the hardcore alternative style they flexed prior to Adore, due to the large departure of that album. That being said, listening to it now, I don’t see why I didn’t like it more at the time; it, and their other albums, are all quite good, and are through-and-through Smashing Pumpkins at the core. I do have to venture a guess that part of the blame comes from this coming around a time of much change in my life; I was in college, and a lot was going on with me, and my music tastes were changing wildly at the time. Looking, and listening back, I can hear that most of their work has been pretty consistent (albeit different and evolving), and quite good since their inception, and this time I am spending listening to the “older stuff” has been fun, because I have been reconnecting with a band that I have always loved for as long as I remember liking music.
I do know that some of my issues with the band were based on line up changes, and drug use (which lead to the death of one of the touring members at one time), which can explain why I overlooked some of their work, but that is definitely in the past now. I do remember really liking Zeitgeist when it came out, so it is clear that I have always been willing to give them and their newer work a chance, but I just hadn’t connected like the way I have this past week following that show. I have always held Siamese Dream to such an unattainable standard, that it is no wonder that I have felt so lukewarm about their other albums; which is a shame, because I have been the cause of myself missing out on some pretty awesome music. Additionally, it goes to show that a good concert can really sell a band, past, present, and hopefully future. I have been getting some of the older stuff on vinyl, and I would like to see a release of Machina/The Machines of God (and it’s follow up), as well as Zeitgeist on vinyl as well, because as much of a fan as I was before, I am even more so now. Now, to get the vinyl that is available, and complete my album collection!
