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| Thursday, September 02 | | · | The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things - Toronto International Film Festival |
| · | Billy at Neuqua Valley High |
| Wednesday, September 01 | | · | David Pajo Interview - Punk Planet |
| Thursday, August 19 | | · | Jimmy's studio photos. |
| Saturday, August 14 | | · | Journal Post From Jimmy 8/14 |
| Wednesday, August 11 | | · | James News - Remix of Blue released |
| Thursday, August 05 | | · | Jimmy C. News |
| Wednesday, August 04 | | · | 08.03.04 - Billy Journal Post |
| Monday, August 02 | | · | BC Live show. |
| Friday, July 23 | | · | More Breaking Benjamin News |
| Sunday, July 18 | | · | Jimmy Chamberlin's self-maintained homepage |
| Saturday, July 17 | | · | Pumpkins on GTA: San Andreas Soundtrack |
| · | 07.15.04 - Billy Journal Post |
| Thursday, July 08 | | · | This song so many have covered |
| Wednesday, June 30 | | · | IGN's Breaking Benjamin CD Review |
| Tuesday, June 29 | | · | Corgan's analysis a smashing success |
| Monday, June 28 | | · | The Wrigleyville Report with Billy Corgan |
| · | Billy Corgan: Blinking with Fists |
| Sunday, June 27 | | · | ''Rock's Graduate Student'' |
| · | Looking For A Break |
Older Articles
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| Chicago Tribune Reviews the First Solo Show |
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 Anonymous writes "From the Chicago Tribune
Loving fans indulge an unplugged Corgan
By Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
It was a night of firsts for Billy Corgan, who left his past behind Monday at Metro: No sign of the Smashing Pumpkins, his multimillion-selling juggernaut of seasons past, or even an electric guitar.
Instead, Corgan offered lulling acoustic narratives, sung in a voice barely above a whisper. He sat in a velvet living-room chair, flanked by a pair of lanterns, and faced a loose-leaf binder of lyrics at his feet. He hunched over his guitar and finger-picked undulating patterns, evoking the meditative trance-folk of John Fahey, or simple blues riffs. There were no elaborate solos or show-boating displays of technique. The focus was squarely on a dozen songs that Corgan has organized around the theme of "Chicago." The unfamiliar songs were received respectfully and sometimes rapturously by the fans, who stood in reverent silence.
At 37, Corgan had never played a solo concert and it takes a certain amount of hubris to demand that fans pay $37.50 a head to see him experiment. But it's clear that many in the audience would have paid much more than that for the opportunity; indeed, dozens in the audience went to considerable expense just to attend, arriving from as far away as Japan and Germany. They were witness to an artist in transition, unveiling a group of songs that are unlike anything he's done before. For Corgan, it's been a period of reassessment, puzzling revelations and tightrope-walking firsts.
Last week, he invited fans to watch him record his "Chicago" songs and began posting on an Internet blog (integralnaked.org) about the experience, describing his insecurities, small triumphs and at least one "meltdown." This almost excruciating openness culminated at Monday's performance—his first solo performance, his first acoustic performance, his first airing of a batch of songs so new he still hadn't quite figured out how to perform them yet. It's all about getting "the blood going," Corgan wrote last week in one of his blog entries, but the key to the Metro concert was whether the audience would respond in kind: They were hearing a dozen unfamiliar songs in an unplugged format far removed from the loud, electrified turf upon which the singer built his biggest commercial successes.
Corgan's voice was more relaxed and warmer, less strained than in the past. He appeared at ease as he sang songs that revolved around themes of transformation, forgiveness and Chicago baseball, with references to early 20th Century sports heroes Shoeless Joe Jackson and Mordecai Brown. But the songs early in the set weren't particularly distinguished melodically, and Corgan's finger-picking left little room for memorable riffs. "Follow me where I go," he sang, a few seconds after a female fan at the lip of the stage passed out and was gently escorted backstage by a security guard. Corgan was then joined by a second musician, a Native American whose droning woodwind backdrops deepened the brooding atmosphere of "Bobby Franks," in which the singer insisted, "I'm still restless."
From that moment, the momentum shifted, and Corgan closed with an impressive string of songs. "White Lights" was a straight blues, with Corgan's guitar lines mirroring his vocal melody, and "Riverview" exerted a dark, hypnotic pull. "White City" boasted a concise pop melody reminiscent of Corgan's most accessible Pumpkins songs, and the set concluded with "El-A-Noy," another song of transformation punctuated by Corgan's lone-wolf howl, and a Dylanish epic, "Columbus," that played like a prayer.
He returned for an encore bereft of old hits. Instead, he played a sly version of Mississippi John Hurt's salty ode to the male libido, "Spike Driver Blues." But the real payoff for the fans came moments earlier, when the singer acknowledged his "best friend and soulmate," former Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, and vowed they'd make music together again one day. Judging by the gleeful response, that day can't come soon enough for fans willing to indulge Corgan the troubadour, but starving for Corgan the slash-and-burn rocker.
Link"
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Posted on Tuesday, April 20 @ 18:50:14 MST by anova |
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Average Score: 4.81
Votes: 11
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