The summer is officially upon us. For music fans, this means you can expect to see most of your favorite acts live at some point over the next few weeks (here are a few of Uproxx’s recommendations). But if you’re a day one Smashing Pumpkins supporter, don’t expect the run-of-the-mill performance.
With the “Beguiled” musicians slated to hit the road for their The World Is A Vampire Tour across Europe, ground rules have already been determined. On June 4, during on interview with Kerrang!, frontman Billy Corgan made it clear that he “doesn’t care” about “appeasing fans” when it comes to the band’s setlist.
“I don’t play any songs I don’t want to play,” he said. “I don’t care if they’re a classic or not,” he told the outlet. “If I don’t want to play it, I just don’t play it. I don’t put that on the audience like, ‘Well, I’ve got to play this one for you.’ I think that’s kind of cheese.”
But there’s a method to the band’s live show madness. According to the musician, leaning toward less popular tracks will encourage concertgoers to revisit their past projects. “Here’s the best way I would say it: the best show for me would be, you’re a fan that really is mostly focused on the older music,” he said. “But then you might hear five, six, seven other songs, and you find yourself going, ‘I don’t know this one,’ so you look up one, and go, ‘Oh, that was a deep cut from 1996. I didn’t know that one. It was some B-side. That’s interesting.’ And then someone making the same discovery about your new stuff, but thinking it was old. I’m not talking about causing confusion. I’m talking about having the person be curious about that.”
Smashing Pumpkins aren’t the only musicians who’ve spoken out about their setlists. Before his 2024 Coachella appearance, Tyler The Creator scolded users online for attempting to bully his song selection.
With Smashing Pumpkins’ first show slated for July 6, the public will see if their creative decision paid off.