Reunion shows put on by famous bands are usually sure-fire ticket sellers. Smashing Pumpkins’ anticipated tour however is not selling its tickets. Granted, the announcement of the band’s reunion had to be tied inextricably to the announcement that D’Arcy Wretzky would not be a part of it. This created negative press and a lot of questions.
There have been documented falling-outs between the bass player and lead singer, Billy Corgan, over the years. Recently, Corgan did not invite Wreztky to record with him and the band’s other members. Wreztky claims that Corgon prefers bassist Jack Bates over her, and wants her involved just so that they can pass it off as a reunion and sell t-shirts with the original band members’ faces on them.
There are other reasons why these tickets won’t sell. Smashing Pumpkins promised fans that they’d play only songs from their first five albums. On a touring circuit that regularly includes other acts from Smashing Pumpkins’ era—Bon Jovi, Depeche Mode, Cheap Trick, etc.—appealing solely to fans that are now in their 50s and 60s won’t necessarily be a huge draw.
Finally, the problem could be Corgan himself. Beyond his weird relationship with Wreztky, Corgan’s hot Twitter fingers and multiple appearances on Alex Jones’ Info Wars have not given him a lot of new fans. Whatever the reason, this band was and is still very popular, but the sales speak for themselves.
Photography Credit: Raymond Flotat
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