Smashing Pumpkins Kick Off Reunion Tour With Classics And Some Impressive Covers

The Smashing Pumpkins kicked off their partial reunion tour this week with some old classics as well as some impressive covers for fans. The tour, which kicked off in Phoenix on Thursday, ushered in a 31-song track list for the night.

Billboard reported that the sprawling set included classic Pumpkins songs such as “Disarm,” “Today,” “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” and “1979.” Fans were also treated to some covers such as the band’s classic renditions of “Space Oddity” and “Landslide.” The Pumpkins debuted a cover of the rock classic “Stairway To Heaven” during the first night.

In addition to the music, the night also featured video retrospectives and a video introduction for guitarist James Iha. Both of which were directed by Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath.

The Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour is the first time in nearly 20 years original members Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlain have performed together. Original bassist D’Arcy Wretzky stated she would not be joining the band for the tour due to differences between herself and Corgan.

The partial reunion tour will also see the band performing songs exclusively from the first five albums of the their career, albums that include Gish, Siamese Dream, and Mellon Collie And the Infinite Sadness.

It hasn’t been an easy start for the Pumpkins this year. While news of a reunion tour and the band exclusively playing the albums their fans love, it was reported by Consequence of Sound earlier this year that tour wasn’t selling well and leaving a lot of big arenas around the country empty.

Bad news of ticket sales wasn’t enough to stop the band or bring down their spirits. Corgan announced in May that the band has put the finishing touches on brand new material. The band is set to release the Shiny And Oh So Bright EPs at some point this year. The Pumpkins dropped their first taste of new music back in June with the new single “Solara,” the first new music from the band since 2014’s Monuments To An Elegy.

The Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour runs through September of this year. The tour continues tomorrow in Austin, Texas, and will run across the country with stops in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Seattle before wrapping the tour in Boise, Idaho.

For a complete list of tour dates and to get your tickets to the tour, visit the Pumpkins’ official website here.