Smashing Pumpkins @ Entertainment Centre, October ’10

A lot has been said about the Smashing Pumpkins over the last few years.

Billy Corgan cops a fair amount of flack for continuing with a band that for all intents and purposes has long since had it’s day.

Indeed, the early 90’s and Gish, the Lull EP and seminal Siamese Dream album are “desert island CD’s” for many people (myself included) and it was with this mind that I went along to shoot this gig.

Billy seemed to be caught in a hard place, at times taking a clear dig at his previous band members for “living in the past”, yet then playing older Pumpkins songs from that very era.

There’s no questioning the musical capabilities of the man and I’d kill to hear a new acoustic Billy Corgan album, but for this photographer, the Smashing Pumpkins have long since left us.

A silly “only from the sound board” photography policy (why, oh why?) meant all these shots are framed almost identical, heavy cropping and rotating has been applied in post to somehow give a unique feel.