Rolling Stone - Metro Show (August 12,1993) Review
Sept 30,1993
(Thanks Rebecca Eilering)
"As far as I'm concerned,"Smashing Pumpkin's Billy Corgan announced to the capacity crowd,"fuck Seattle!!" And as if determined to prove that they are creating some of the toughest, most dynamic sound around--w/o the hoopla of a scene to bouy them-- Chicago's Smashing Pumpkins blasted though an exhausting 90 minutes of music that left the entire all ages audience physically fatigued and socially exhilarated. Nevermind Nirvana; the Pumpkins are the real deal.
The Smashing Pumpkins thrive on tension between soft and hard, the melodic and raw,the blustering and the glistening, and the fans who packed the hot and humid Metro for the first of 3 sold out shows were there to imbibe on every crunchy guitar chord and crooding bass lines. From the persistent and muscular riff of the opener "rocket", to the bottomed out dreamy break of "Geek USA", Smashing Pumpkins impressed with their ability to translate the bone rattling crush and equally affecting quiet of their recordings to a live set.
Siamese Dream, the Pumpkins new album, debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Album Chart--an amazing feat for a major label debut by a band with little radio support. the dedication of the Pumpkins' fans, however, was immediately apparent:During the melodic "Today" and the majestic acoustic "Disarm" both from Siamese dream, the crowd chanted passages of the lyrics along with Corgan, who could only smile in appreciation.
"Siva" from the Pumpkins album Gish, worked the crowd into a moshing, body-surfing frenzy, constant Corgan and Iha urging each other to spastic heights while seemingly unmoved Darcy worked a bass groove deep enough to maintain the dueling guitars. And drummer Jimmy Chamberlin forged an unwavering rhythem bed augmented by original, jazzed-up fills(Chamberlins performance was stellar throughout; adding dimension to the band similar to the one Keith Moon of The who.)
The crowning moment came about halfway through the show: while Corgan gawked over his guitar, stalking the stage in a awkward swagger, the band ripped through a slightly fast version of "Cherub rock", the most inspiring rock anthem since "smells like teen Spirit." the crowed moved as a throbbing mass to the sternum pounding drum of Chamberlin and darcy's rhythem, and Iha's relentless, surging guitar riff. While Corgan screamed "Let me out!!"--as true an expression of rock and roll's freedom spirit as you bounded to hear--the members of the audience returned the chant with abandon, and at that moment, everybody in the house knew exactly what that meant. the Pumpkins, on that night, were indeed smashing.