Wednesday, April 14, 1999
CONCERT REVIEW
Pumpkins' drummer smashing
BY LARRY NAGER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The classic-rock crowd may be excited about Bruce and the E Street Band, but for under-30 alt-rockers, the summer's biggest comeback is drummer Jimmy Chamberlin with Smashing Pumpkins.
Monday night, the Tristate got one of the first looks at the reunited band, as the second show of a nine-concert club tour played Bogart's.
It had sold out in minutes, and scalpers along Short Vine were asking more than $100 over the $25.50 face value of the general admission tickets.
For the faithful, it was worth the price to be in a 1,400-capacity club, less then a tenth the size of the places the Pumpkins usually play.
But the 110-minute show, including three encores, wasn't just a stripped-down arena concert. Raw and edgy, it was very much a club date, as singer-guitarist Billy Corgan led his quartet through a history of the band.
There were old, punk-edged songs like “Geek U.S.A.” and “Zero” and recent material such as “Ava Adore,” but most of the show was new.
All of it gained considerable muscle with Mr. Chamberlin's return.
After being fired in 1996 for his heroin addiction when the band's keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin overdosed, Mr. Chamberlin seems to have substituted pumping iron for shooting dope.
The drummer's return revitalized the entire band, as Mr. Corgan's gothic balladry has given way to thrashing punk rock. He wore a mod-styled suit, which together with his bald head, made him look like Austin Powers' nemesis, Dr. Evil. But he made a very happy Dr. Evil, grinning as he worked out with his band.
Rhythm guitarist James Iha has stepped to the front line, sharing much of the lead guitar, while bassist D'Arcy did most of the talking. Mr. Chamberlin's return was her theme, as early in the evening, she joked that, “We've got a new drummer and he doesn't know what's going on.” Later, she said they'd picked him up hitchhiking.
The sellout crowd wasn't fooled. They cheered Mr. Chamberlin's return throughout the night, happily pogo-ing to fast songs, flicking Bics for slow ones and singing along to everything but the new stuff.
Queens of the Stone Age opened with 30 minutes of hard rock.
The quartet's roots are in early Black Sabbath, but they avoid sounding retro thanks to Joshua Homme's quirky lead guitar and his high, clear, un-Ozzy singing.
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