[thebends]

Bruce Springsteen Fenway Park - tonight! Never been a big fan but people that have seen him live have nothing but good things to say. Gotta do it.

[emperor penguin]

I saw Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket last night at Echo Beach in Toronto and holy hell was it ever good. Jim James is a possessed animal on stage and their playing is so damn tight and crisp. They also do a pretty cool thing where fans can tweet setlist suggestions for the night's show.

[thebends]

I saw Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket last night at Echo Beach in Toronto and holy hell was it ever good. Jim James is a possessed animal on stage and their playing is so damn tight and crisp. They also do a pretty cool thing where fans can tweet setlist suggestions for the night's show.

I'm curious about this venue ... any comments or tips?

[emperor penguin]

I saw Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket last night at Echo Beach in Toronto and holy hell was it ever good. Jim James is a possessed animal on stage and their playing is so damn tight and crisp. They also do a pretty cool thing where fans can tweet setlist suggestions for the night's show.

I'm curious about this venue ... any comments or tips?

I was expecting it to be not very good, but it turned out to be quite an enjoyable place to see a show. It was a lot smaller than I was expecting which was nice. The sand is kind of wet and packed down pretty well so that was better than what I thought it was going to be like. Ive been to shows with sand and it was hell, way too soft and unstable. The sound for Band of Horses seemed off, but that's a common thing for opening bands. My Morning Jacket sounded great (sound quality wise and musically). I would rank this place very highly actually and would definitely see another show here. Great atmosphere, lots of areas to buy beer with minimal lines all along the edge of the viewing areas, really easy to go to the washroom as there are tons of porta-potties just behind the main viewing area behind the soundboard, and because of the small size of the venue the sightlines were great from anywhere you were.

[emperor penguin]

I would add that getting in and out was a lot easier than the amphiteatre too because you only have to go through one gate, the same gate as you use for the amphitheatre but once youre through it's totally wide open, and a way smaller crowd to contend with.

[direwolf74]

Cuff the Duke at the Ironwood in Calgary, Oct. 8th and 9th.

[The Heron Outside]

A lot of gigs these days, but of note, I caught the atrocity that is Smashing Pumpkins. My review for the local weekly rag here:

http://www.beat.com.au/music/smashing-pu...ense-arena

Tomorrow, checking out a local act that's making a lot of waves, the Smith Street Band. If you're up for some fist-pumping, give 'em a listen.

http://soundcloud.com/themusiccomau/sets...-sunshine/

[thebends]

A lot of gigs these days, but of note, I caught the atrocity that is Smashing Pumpkins. My review for the local weekly rag here:

http://www.beat.com.au/music/smashing-pu...ense-arena

Ouch, I just bough tix for the Oct 25 show at Air Canada Centre :what

[The Darkest Canuck]

This is The Smashing Pumpkins of 2012, taking to stages much too large as they lay down Oceania, the new record, front to back. The immediacy and tension of the '90s Pumpkins is long gone. From my vantage point, Corgan stood in the centre of distracting stage, without even a spotlight on his pale face. Which is horribly fitting, since Corgan and his Pumpkin b®and are nothing more than a shadow of former greatness.

still better than 90% of the crap that's played on modern rock radio

Though Corgan is the only remaining Pumpkin, that hasn’t stopped him from whoring out the name. This was evidenced by the $40 “Zero” t-shirts for sale, originally worn by Corgan in the Bullet With Butterfly Wings video.

$40 for a long sleeve at a concert is pretty fair imo, they go for 30+ in stores


No longer are Corgan and the Pumpkins suited to play arenas, as the largely empty (or, mostly partitioned off) Hisense Arena proved. Violet Rays highlighted the subtle grace of Oceania, leading one to believe how much more suitable this sort of gig would’ve sounded and appeared at venues such as The Forum or Palace.

pretty much any show is better in a smaller venue



Oceania isn’t a bad record per se, with tracks like My Love Is Winter and Panopticon translating well enough live. And to be fair, Corgan’s pipes sounded richer than their scratchy past. His band also kept time respectfully enough. By sticking to his vision and playing Oceania for half the show, Corgan drew a thick line in the sand, as if to say, “Are you with me or against me?” In asking fans to pay upwards of $100 a ticket, the answer was evident: over one hour into the set, and not a single shred of classic Pumpkins? It was a clear shun of the majority of the over-25 crowd, who originally fell in love with the band on the strength of those tracks.

funny thing about playing an album start to finish...it may take a while, do your homework and find out what you're going to go see before you see it, then you won't be disappointed, or you can decide not to go, billy didn't put a gun to your head and make you go did he?

The moment you agree to play arenas, you must also accept that giving fans your classics (or even some variety) is part of the deal. It begged another question: who was onstage at Hisense, The Smashing Pumpkins or Corgan’s inflated ego? Being both an artist and a performer is a delicate balance that Corgan doesn’t give a shit about. He implored the audience, half-heartedly, to take a “journey” through playing Oceania. This drew the odd cheer from the crowd, but coupled with the bored looks around me, it was clear that many weren’t aboard Corgan’s journey. You cannot fully move forward unless you admit and acknowledge where you’ve come from, Mr. Corgan.

later in this review though, you do state that they did indeed play some classics...which pumpkin fans have heard before if they have seen them, unlike their brand new album...

Finally, as the last notes of Wildflower faded out, Corgan dived into a plodding rendition of Bowie’s Space Oddity “The stars look very different today,” sung Corgan. How very, very true.

no points for a bowie cover? you really don't like the pumpkins anymore do you (rhetorical quiestion)

Disarm and Tonight, Tonight followed, but without the gusto these songs once maintained (and Jimmy Chamberlain’s skilled drumwork) it felt like little more than placating a crowd which Corgan had already lost.

what are you? 3? "hurry up! hurry up, play the songs i know!" (facepalm), if you wanted to hear the greatest hits collection, you should've stayed at home and listened to it, god forbid you give something new a chance eh? they probably didn't sound the same to you, because you stopped giving a crap about this band long ago


After Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Corgan announced that the band was about to play Soot And Stars: a track not played by the Pumpkins in 18 years, (which was a bold-faced lie, because it’s been played throughout this tour), followed by an awkward statement. “Not like you deserve it,” he said.

actually, according to one of your own readers, it was Luna that they hadn't played in 18 years, a classic from Siamese Dream, the era of pumpkins you oh so desperately miss apparently, and no, you probably didn't deserve it

Uh, alright William. I’d wager your fans have another idea about what’s truly deserved in a night of rock'n'roll.

perhaps if they don't like it, they can all start their own bands then, and show us all how it's supposed to be done...


don't worry, i'm sure the ACC show will be rockin', and if this douchey review has scared you out of going, i will gladly buy your tickets off you.

[The Heron Outside]

This is The Smashing Pumpkins of 2012, taking to stages much too large as they lay down Oceania, the new record, front to back. The immediacy and tension of the '90s Pumpkins is long gone. From my vantage point, Corgan stood in the centre of distracting stage, without even a spotlight on his pale face. Which is horribly fitting, since Corgan and his Pumpkin b®and are nothing more than a shadow of former greatness.

still better than 90% of the crap that's played on modern rock radio

Though Corgan is the only remaining Pumpkin, that hasn’t stopped him from whoring out the name. This was evidenced by the $40 “Zero” t-shirts for sale, originally worn by Corgan in the Bullet With Butterfly Wings video.

$40 for a long sleeve at a concert is pretty fair imo, they go for 30+ in stores


No longer are Corgan and the Pumpkins suited to play arenas, as the largely empty (or, mostly partitioned off) Hisense Arena proved. Violet Rays highlighted the subtle grace of Oceania, leading one to believe how much more suitable this sort of gig would’ve sounded and appeared at venues such as The Forum or Palace.

pretty much any show is better in a smaller venue



Oceania isn’t a bad record per se, with tracks like My Love Is Winter and Panopticon translating well enough live. And to be fair, Corgan’s pipes sounded richer than their scratchy past. His band also kept time respectfully enough. By sticking to his vision and playing Oceania for half the show, Corgan drew a thick line in the sand, as if to say, “Are you with me or against me?” In asking fans to pay upwards of $100 a ticket, the answer was evident: over one hour into the set, and not a single shred of classic Pumpkins? It was a clear shun of the majority of the over-25 crowd, who originally fell in love with the band on the strength of those tracks.

funny thing about playing an album start to finish...it may take a while, do your homework and find out what you're going to go see before you see it, then you won't be disappointed, or you can decide not to go, billy didn't put a gun to your head and make you go did he?

The moment you agree to play arenas, you must also accept that giving fans your classics (or even some variety) is part of the deal. It begged another question: who was onstage at Hisense, The Smashing Pumpkins or Corgan’s inflated ego? Being both an artist and a performer is a delicate balance that Corgan doesn’t give a shit about. He implored the audience, half-heartedly, to take a “journey” through playing Oceania. This drew the odd cheer from the crowd, but coupled with the bored looks around me, it was clear that many weren’t aboard Corgan’s journey. You cannot fully move forward unless you admit and acknowledge where you’ve come from, Mr. Corgan.

later in this review though, you do state that they did indeed play some classics...which pumpkin fans have heard before if they have seen them, unlike their brand new album...

Finally, as the last notes of Wildflower faded out, Corgan dived into a plodding rendition of Bowie’s Space Oddity “The stars look very different today,” sung Corgan. How very, very true.

no points for a bowie cover? you really don't like the pumpkins anymore do you (rhetorical quiestion)

Disarm and Tonight, Tonight followed, but without the gusto these songs once maintained (and Jimmy Chamberlain’s skilled drumwork) it felt like little more than placating a crowd which Corgan had already lost.

what are you? 3? "hurry up! hurry up, play the songs i know!" (facepalm), if you wanted to hear the greatest hits collection, you should've stayed at home and listened to it, god forbid you give something new a chance eh? they probably didn't sound the same to you, because you stopped giving a crap about this band long ago


After Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Corgan announced that the band was about to play Soot And Stars: a track not played by the Pumpkins in 18 years, (which was a bold-faced lie, because it’s been played throughout this tour), followed by an awkward statement. “Not like you deserve it,” he said.

actually, according to one of your own readers, it was Luna that they hadn't played in 18 years, a classic from Siamese Dream, the era of pumpkins you oh so desperately miss apparently, and no, you probably didn't deserve it

Uh, alright William. I’d wager your fans have another idea about what’s truly deserved in a night of rock'n'roll.

perhaps if they don't like it, they can all start their own bands then, and show us all how it's supposed to be done...


don't worry, i'm sure the ACC show will be rockin', and if this douchey review has scared you out of going, i will gladly buy your tickets off you.

Thanks for your thoughtful critique. If you ever leave your Mom's basement and show her what you wrote, I'm sure she'll put it up on the fridge with a nice big gold star.

[The Darkest Canuck]

That's funny...my room never was in the basement though, and believe me, i wish i was still there, living for free rocks bro, real grown up talk!

[nomadic]

I saw Mo Kenny & Joel Plaskett tonight at the Arden in St. Albert - they were both phenomenal!!!

[fingernailsonhull]

Went to go see Dan Mangan and The Rural Alberta Advantage at The Winspear in Edmonton tonight. Fantastic show.

[The Darkest Canuck]

I went to see the Pumpkins, and it was fantastic. heron outside can suck my cock, seeing he's such a blow hard.

[thebends]

I went to see the Pumpkins, and it was fantastic. heron outside can suck my cock, seeing he's such a blow hard.

I was at the ACC for the show and thought it was quite awesome. That band was as tight as Ive seen them and considering its a brand new cast it was pretty impressive.