Smashing Pumpkins recently played at Wrigley Field in their hometown, Chicago.
“The band started with Jimmy [Chamberlin] just down the street here at the metro,” the band’s frontman Billy Corgan said in a video posted on Instagram. “Literally, a block away from here is really the spiritual home of the band.”
The singer continued, “It’s a big deal for us. It’s a big day for us. And as a Chicagoan, it doesn’t get any better than to play your hometown ballpark.”
Chicago is a really important place for Corgan. He also paid tribute to his hometown when he released his debut solo album, ‘TheFutureEmbrace.’ “Today is a special day in my life as it marks the release of my very first solo album ‘TheFutureEmbrace,’” said Billy.
He continued, “For over 17 years I have been proud to represent Chicago as an artist through my words and music, and am continually humbled by the undying love that I have been shown from this city as one of its native sons.”
“I had the opportunity to record ‘TheFutureEmbrace’ CD here in Chicago, and its embers bear witness to this town’s unique soul,” he added. “I have done my very best to create something fresh and exciting to listen to, and I hope you get the chance to check it out.”
Smashing Pumpkins’ latest studio album, ‘Aghori Mhori Mei’ arrived on August 2. “All of a sudden I start talking about Mötley Crüe, specifically the ‘Too Fast For Love’ and ‘Shout at the Devil’ albums,” Corgan recently told Loudwire Nights about the record.
He then noted, “In their own crazy minds, they thought they were doing glam. Nikki thought they were doing Sweet and early Bowie, but they couldn’t really do it and they hadn’t really studied the records, so they did the Mötley Crüe version of Sweet or something. And you end up with this beautiful, almost primitive but more visceral version of the thing they were trying to kind of be.”
Smashing Pumpkins’ North American tour continues through August and September. Their next show is on August 20 in Des Moines, Iowa. They will also perform in St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee.