Yeah, sorry, that kid did say "last night's show sucked." But it doesn't change anything. How did Billy know what the kid was going to say before he invited him on stage? He didn't know the dude was going to yell that in the mic with all the aplomb of a drunk frat boy. At least he extended the courtesy of giving the kid a stage.
The fact that the kid declined Billy's offer to refund his tickets just means the kid had a little bit of class rather than none. Smashing Pumpkins shows have rarely, if ever, been sweaty, ballstothewall, beerslinging affairs. It's art-rock, and it always has been, as much as alot of people here might despise that term. Corgan has always taken himself way too seriously, and that used to be why alot of people loved him and his music...and it's a big reason why I still love the Pumpkins.
Times have changed, the evolution of
s has happened, and the iconic, larger-than-life artrockers like Corgan are running into a completely different attitude from their fans than they were used to nine years ago. It seems that Billy is just now figuring out he's not performing at the Metro in 1996 anymore, and the name Smashing Pumpkins just doesn't carry the weight it once did.I still will always admire bands like the Pumpkins, Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus MC, Pixies, Interpol etc. who still present a largerthanlife image more than I will this generation of Hold Steady's, Wolf Parade and your random garage act.
That's why I wish Billy would just shut up and play...because I really don't give a shit if he's a nice guy or not. His music spoke and still speaks to me, and I want to be filled with the same sense of wonderment and detachment I used to get listening and watching his band.
