[whir22]

I made it to 2 shows on each of these tours (Chicago in 08 and Milwaukee/Chicago in 11) and although I really liked the shows a few months ago and the new Oceania songs, I preferred the 2008 tour. What I really loved about that tour was the aggression and anger in Billy. It felt on the 2011 tour that he was on auto pilot. There was virtually no banter, no rants about the world or the crowd and I can't remember any screaming. The shows in 2008 seemed much more improvisational. This is not a complaint in any way, as I loved the 2011 shows, but with set lists of Superchrist and United States back to back, the place was rocking. The crowds were a lot more into it during the 20th Anniversary shows.

when I watch the video of Heavy Metal Machine from the Adler on 8-8-08, I feel more emotion, energy and excitement. It doesn't get any better than this for me at a SP concert. I would love them to add this to the upcoming tour!



Just wondering if anyone else felt this way?

[LostSoul]

Um...the crowd was MORE into it? Not the way I've heard it from all ends, or at the show I attended, for that matter. Billy was often times cold and emotionless during that tour, and the music was the only positive thing. His attitude, sense of detachment, and ill-mannered banter left many leaving unhappy. I loved the set(s) he performed that tour, and the overall vibe. The darker vibe worked in a way, the new songs were shaping up nicely, and the backing band added to the experience for songs like Tonight Tonight, The March Hare, Owata and Disarm. Thats about it. I am thankful for the fact alone that I heard Jimmy Chamberlin live, as well as hearing songs like Mayonaise, Soma, Zero, IotM, and Bodies live.

However, the energy at last years' show was very, very high in NYC. And this year toppled even that in the very same venue. The energy was through the roof, and shot out from the stage, and sifted through the entire crowd before returning to the band ten-fold. While 2008 Pumpkins were very technically sound and insanely tight, Billy's voice lacked heart. This tour, he had it, and you can't deny that they did wonderfully when performing old cuts such as Geek USA, Soma, Window Paine, and Ruby. That, plus the fact that the new songs finally stack up again, much like the songs we might have gotten from the fruits of the 2008 tour. :thumbsup:/>

[vescret]

soul is right 2011 all the way for me

[davidp2007]

Yeah I agree with LostSoul. He was incredibly negative and sarcastic at times during the 2008 tour. He was entertaining at times though, like the Cubs vs. White Sox talk. But he apparently was booed incessantly and generally had a bad reaction during the first Chicago Theatre show. I went to the second one and the first Auditorium Theatre show.

While I really liked the music on the 2008 shows, I think that the energy and overall musicianship was great for the 2011 shows. They were way better. Except not much talking. I wish he could have talked more. But he seemed to be in better spirits.

[eurojesus]

I much preferred the 20th Anniversary shows that I saw to the 2011 shows. There was far more energy coming from the band. The 2011 shows didn't really make an impact on me, although I loved the setlist!!

[ShamanO]

hmm...I went to the Adler and I think a lot of the excitement was the return of SP since it was only a year later after Zeitgeist.

I dont like pissy angry Billy as much (altho I do find it kind of funny when he is like that) The band right now is better to me than in 2008 even tho I have not seen a show, the live performance in your face music and the energy level of the band is much more positive even tho the band is much quieter with banter.

[slunk_4ever]

shows in 08 were very good. I was a little disappointed with the first night of the 2 night stand cause it was the same set they had played on the warm up a month or so before and I was expecting something different, not to say it was not great, plus the venue I was at was seated, DAR and the show lacked the punch of a standing room only show, like they did in 2010 at ram's head and 2011 at dc 9:30.

now with that said I really enjoyed the zeitgeist tour in 07, and mainly because they changed the set up some from night to night. I went the first 2 nights at phily and the entire show and encore for both nights was awesome.

Basically, I love the standing room only, general admission shows the best, like they been doing the past 2 tours, the vibe is much more energized...
in seated venues, when half the crowd is sitting during songs they don't know like superchrist is a travasty!

[United States]

2008, only bc you can't beat 2 nights of the pumpkins.
And the massive setlists.

[whir22]

Slunk brings up a good point; the 2007 Zeitgeist tour was really awesome because the setlists were different every night. I remember going to the one show I caught on that tour and had so much anticipation as to what the next song would be.
I am probably in the minority preferring the pissy Billy, but I felt a lot more emotion from him and was generally more entertained by the band in the 2007 and 2008 tours. As for the crowds, all the shows I saw in 07 and 08 had great crowd reactions. All 3 of us who went to Milwaukee in 2011 agreed that the crowd was lame. I saw a lot of them sitting and/or bored looks on their faces. Chicago 2011 was definitely a better crowd.

[smashp1979]

I seen both shows at the Auditorium Theater in 2008 and the show at the Riv in 2011. I loved all 3, but the 2011 show was the best. It had by far the most energy and a great setlist. The 2008 shows were awesome as well as far as the setlists go. We got to hear Soma, Bodies, As Rome Burns, TBITEITB, Transformer, Mayonaise, Speed Kills. Just to name a few. The energy was just not the same as the 2011 shows. Does not help that the Auditorium is all seated. Being in the pit at the Riv was just an unbeleivable feeling.

[ItsSoPringles]

BC was kinda adouch in 2007-2008 tour and took awya alot of the fun from the shows to me, his voice was just lacking in 08 but in 07 it was fine and energy was non existant half the time, this tour is spectacular energy for both new and old songs, great vocals, emotion into the songs, a band that actually feels like a band, and on top of it all, the band looks like they are enjoying themselves hence us enjoying the show too, unlike 2007-2008 where billy just looked pissed the entire time

[RottingApples]

whir22, on 10 January 2012 - 06:43 PM, said:

the 2007 Zeitgeist tour was really awesome because the setlists were different every night.

Thing is, while those were great shows and great setlists, there were plenty of fans who bitched about even that. I'm not talking casual, hits-fans. There were people who complained constantly about the songs differing night to night and how "unfair it was" that they played a song at one show, but didn't play it at the one they went to. Fans complain. Like they did for the setlist last year, like they did for the reissues, like they did for the Teargarden songs, like they did during Spirits in the Sky, like they did when the Subscription was proposed.....

[alan]

2008 was awesome because it was so indulgent.

i saw them in new york. 2 nights, 2 long concerts, i had front 20 rows in a great venue.

HOWEVER, the crowd wasn't into it, and second night billy had a spat with a fan onstage (not sure if it was preplanned or not) and made a terrible joke about the guy, which in addition to being in bad taste of a sexual nature was particularly badly received as the gig was in an old church!

so the atmosphere was tense and a bit cold for an "anniversary" show. but the setlist, musicianship and theatrics made it pretty great.

[whir22]

Since they have sucked? That is a lame comment and apparently you didn't see the 2008 or 2011 tours because both were awesome. I like the band better than when I saw them in 1998 and 2000.

[Behived]

I did not realise there was a real smashing pumpkins fan guide line... Damn I will have to stop calling myself a smashing pumpkin fan cause I will probably break a lot of rules in your book

[Deleted User Account]

The first night in 08 wasn't very good. The second night was much better. Haven't seen them since, and honestly, am not in a rush too.

[Fire Dragon]

I've seen them three times now, the first was when they were relatively unknown and were supported by The Verve, (I think Siamese Dream was breaking here in the UK), the second was part of their farewell tour at the Birmingham NEC, but it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. The third time was excellent though, at the O2 in London, think it was 2008 or 2009. Missed out on Corgan's Future Embrace gig in Tokyo in 2005 though because it sold out in seconds.

So yeah, the O2 one so far, but I hope to see them again very soon!

[Dusty]

The consensus seems to be (and is one that I would agree with) is that while the musicianship during 2008 was at a career high--the brass, strings and keys make the concerts a fully unique experience--the Anniversary shows are best enjoyed from the comfort of your home with soundboard recordings, whereas the 2011 shows were simply phenominal in terms of presence and crowd reaction.

[machina5514]

08 tour had more rarities and more of an ambitious vibe, plus JC was still in the band. 11 show the band seemed tighter, had more hits and much happier vibe from the band.

At both shows, the cleveland setlist lacked a lot of the songs that would later be put in, such as Age of Innocence, Soma, The Aeroplane Flies High, etc.

[savethetiger]

Sadly, I was planning on driving down to the Fillmore show in Detroit in '11 but had to back out last minute due to work/Leafs game.

Kills me to this day, as I had always wanted to hear Window, Ruby, Geek, Muzzle, Starla etc. I hope some of them stick around in the set for this go around and from what I've heard, they sounded really tight. I did get to see the current incarnation of the band in '10 in Cleveland at the House of Blues, and they were pretty solid then so I imagine they've improved even greater since. Loved the cuts of Hummer, Orchid, and I even enjoyed the fun Billy and Jeff were having with Astral Planes. Wished I would've seen Eye on that tour. I remember liking the setlist at the time though looking back on it now it seems pretty brutal in comparison to others surrounding it.

But I digress. The 20th Anniversary Tour is pure gold to me. 2 nights, 48 songs, epic fucking experience with setlists to die for, Jimmy, the instruments, and the dark experimental vibe. Everyone always bitches about Billy's attitude during that span. Shut the FUCK up already. First of all, I never particularly got a bad vibe, I just thought it was Billy being Billy, and if he was so bitter he wouldn't have come out back at the venue to shoot the shit at the end of the both nights. He didn't have to do that, and it didn't feel forced.

But let's just say he was being public asshole #1 on this tour. Who cares? Are you paying money for him to be an inspirational speaker? I could really give less of a shit how upset or jerky he may have been. Not only is it kind of funny to me, but all I actually care about is the music. Maybe Billy being pissed off causes him to play with more focus or passion. Maybe he's having a ton of fun acting as he does. We don't know. Why people let the perceived mood of the artist take them out of the performance is beyond me. Billy was 100% engaged with what he was doing, as he has been EVERY time I've seen him, and was on the same page with the rest of the band as well. The fact he interacts with his audience shows that engagement, whether you think he is being positive or negative, genuine or tongue in cheek.

And yes, Everything is Beautiful was completely ridiculous, but in retrospect it was also hilarious.

I still listen to the 20th Anniv. Tour boots on the regular, and imagine I will continue to do so until the end of time. It's going to take one hell of a fucking show(s) to supplant that.