This Odd 2000 Smashing Pumpkins Lowell Gig is Worth a Look
The Y2K version of the band had a different look and sound, and this Smashing Pumpkins Lowell gig from that era does a great job of illustrating that.
The Smashing Pumpkins were touring behind 2000’s Machina/The Machines of God. It was a return to form of sorts for the band. Where 1998’s Adore was more synth-driven and electronic, the rock was back for Machina.
And, most importantly, drummer Jimmy Chamberlain was back. Gone was the sound and style of the drum machine. This made for a more driving live show, and Billy Corgan & Co. leaned into that, expanding their world tour.
Smashing Pumpkins Lowell: A Firsthand Account
I’d first seen the Pumpkins live four years prior in Providence on their massive Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Tour. Original bass player D’Aarcy Wretsky was still in the band. That was a moment for me: she was a big crush of mine.
D’Arcy had departed the band by 2000, and in her place for the Machina Tour was former Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur. I was never a huge Hole fan, but I was curious to see what Auf Der Maur would bring to the table live.
She brought a metric ton of rock.
Smashing Pumpkins Lowell: Tsongas Arena Forever
That clip above? That’s the energy that hit me flush in the face shortly after strolling into the Tsongas for the Pumpkins set. Heavier fare like “Zero” and “The Everlasting Gaze” were played at breakneck speed, with Melissa and Billy writhing and ranting, respectively.
That, plus the steady hand of James Iha on guitar and the human dynamo that is Jimmy Chamberlain on drums made for a memorable show. The setlist was a bit all over the place; you can take a look at it here.
And while I wasn’t able to find any decent live footage from the Smashing Pumpkins Lowell set, the Universal Amphitheatre gig they played in L.A. about a month later does a fine job of capturing the zeitgeist of the Y2K-era Pumpkins.