Dude, those're some smashing pumpkins!
Hmmmm..... Smashing Pumpkins, you say...
Probably not mentioned this... I was the world's biggest pumpkins fan for about 10 years from 1990 - 2000. Saw them once at Wolverhampton Civic Hall, a teeny tiny venue here in the UK during the Siamese Dream tour, just before they took off, and they were absolutely mind blowing. I was with a big group of good friends, and it was simply the most beautiful thing ever. They were good fun too.
Then I saw their penultimate UK gig at the NEC. It sucked. No audience interaction, most good songs reduced to scrappy accoustic versions, huge venue. Was bitterly disappointed for a band that I loved so much. I mean, I have nothing against accoustic sets, when I saw Counting Crows a wee bit before the Pumpkins NEC gig, at the same venue, they did a lot of acoustic, and it rocked. But they're good like that (and we were treated to Angels Of THe Silences both acoustic AND electric, which ruled). And to think I used to despise CC as lite pop rubbish, till I heard August and Everything After.
Last time I went to San Fransisco, a good friend drove me to the corner of Virginia and La Loma. That was cool. She met Duritz at a party before that, and didn't know who he was. In retrospect, the conversation was apparently quite amusing as the band came up
Ah, me: Memories. Who else was good: L7 rocked. That was shortly after Kurt did for himself. Prodigy were great. Sonic Youth with Pavement supporting were outstanding. Happy times.
*sigh*