Pumpkins, Manson tour won’t be nostalgia trip

Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson won’t be playing greatest hits sets when they embark on their The End Of Times tour across the US this summer, they’ve confirmed.

The run of 23 dates starts in July – but those looking for a nostalgia fix will likely be disappointed according to Smashing Pumpkins’ mainman Billy Corgan.

He said at a Q&A session to promote the tour: “These days, people come expecting a greatest hits concert whether you want to give it to them or not.

“So you can either play that concert and a lot of people leave happy, or you can decide not to play the concert and your fans that sit on the internet every day are happy. Then the other 97% of the people are angry and lobbing firebombs at you on Twitter because they didn’t get their teenage memory handed back to them.”

He adds: “I think the key is to find a balance between the material you probably should play and then the new stuff that fits in well with that. If you do it right, it’s a great case as to why the new music is just as strong as the old music.”

Asked what he thought of the current music scene, Corgan explained: “I’m sort of anti-hipster. Hipsters get pretty mad when I say that. I don’t like anything that’s parochial, as in this group decides what’s cool and not cool.

“I’ve been consistent in hating hipster culture from the 80s because that culture pegged my band very early on as not being cool enough – whatever the fuck that means.”

Manson also quashed the idea of resurrecting his planned film Phantasmagoria: The Visions Of Lewis Carroll which was first touted in 2004.

He said: “I abandoned that idea. It was a story about someone with a split personality. But the story to me right now isn’t as important as maybe a different story.

“I identified too much with the character I was writing about because it was like me. I think putting my efforts into something different might be more productive.”

Manson released his ninth studio album The Pale Emperor earlier this year and will play next month’s Download festival. The Smashing Pumpkins launched Monuments To An Elegy last year – Corgan’s first record since the band’s Oceania in 2012.

The End Times tour dates

Jul 7: Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion Jul 9: Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Jul 10: Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Jul 11: Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre Jul 13: Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre Jul 15: Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion Jul 16: Houston, TX - NRG Arena Jul 18: San Antonio, TX - Freeman Coliseum Jul 19: Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Live Jul 20: New Orleans, LA - Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square Jul 22: Miami, FL - Bayfront Park Amphitheatre Jul 24: Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State Fairgrounds Jul 25: Atlanta, GA - Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood Jul 26: Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater Jul 28: Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion Jul 29: Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center Jul 31: Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater Aug 1: Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Resort Casino Aug 2: Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center Aug 4: Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre Aug 5: Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre Aug 7: Chicago, IL - FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island Aug 8: Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald newspapers, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.