So here I was, recently relocated from Sydney, Australia to Nottingham UK and much anticipation and excitement about seeing the Smashing Pumpkins for the first time. Took my 3 kids (for 2 of them it was their first ever concert) and was really hoping for this to be the highlight of my UK visit. The concert was good although the crowd was surprisingly small. Not much interplay between the band and crowd. Seemed like something was wrong. Some reference to people not buying his EP. So What. Around half full. So after just over 1hour 40 mins, of solid Pumpkins, Billy played a solo and left the stage without a word. Much anticipation from the crowd. We still had not heard Disarm and loads of other favourites when Billy left the stage and after around 5mins, the house lights came on and we were told that the concert was over. Seriously. No Encore. I have been to loads and loads of gigs but No Encore, Are they kidding. The crowd might have been a little reserved but I can tell you that after spending £120 of my hard earned, I was expecting a lot more. It left you flat and wondering what happened. No way to leave a concert and very disappointing way to finish a good concert. If they want to win over the British public then this is no way to do it by disaffecting your hard core fans. Never again is that is the best SP can do. I see loads of references to Billy being the modern day Kurt Cobain and Nirvana would not have done this. Sorry guys. Pete, if you care to reply.

Loved the pumpkins for years.Couldnt wait for this gig.Nobody i know are into them so travelled alone many miles to be there.Billy just strolled on played what he had to looked totally bored never involved,spoke to the crowd except to insult us.Disappeared off the stage like a coward.Worst gig ive ever been to the guys a joke, lost up his own rectum.Still love the music i cant forget that but i wont be spending another penny on this man because he dosnt deserve good fans.You were upset that the place was half empty this time.Try coming back again and you will probably get 10 people.You deserve it.OH BILLY WATCH THESE GUYS PLAY TO OBSERVE HOW TO PERFORM,INVOLVE THE CROWD,INVOLVE YOUR BAND AND HAVE SOME PASSION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK8N3k1bhuo&feature=related

Pretty much all of what Miskin mentioned about meeting Billy backstage was true.

I was very disappointed by his general disregard for his fans, especially when he refused to sign my copy of the new EP.

But Miskin I am definately not a girl !!
Lol...

Anyway shame on you Billy, especially as i went on your solo tour 3 years ago when you were struggling to fill the small venues. As back then you were glad of your devoted following...
My image of the man will never be the same again...

James...

I've seen the Homerpalooza episode of the Simpsons SOOO many times just because the Pumpkins were in it. I have loved the band since watching a 'No Nirvana' program in the early 90's. They played Rhinocerous and they played it well. I have bought practically everything they have ever released in our blighted isle, including at least 3 copies of Siamese Dream due to my penchant for scratching CD's.

So I was as happy to hear they had reformed as I was mortified that they'd split. The only balls out rock band since, well since forever. Never been touched since.

And then I paid £60 for tickets for me and me girly friend to see them in Nottingham. Thanks for repaying my 15 years of devotion by walking off without so much as a wave. Were we all supposed to scream "I bought your EP Billy!" and wave our hands around like Girls Aloud fans?

I digress, the songs you did play were excellent, it was amazing hearing Porcelina live and you did squeeze Mayonaise in there as well which I am grateful for; but you can never be forgiven for the way you acted. Is there any chance of you using your millions of dollars to fly me and my girlfriend out to see you play at a more suitable venue?

Love Mark.

I don't believe in the whole Billy caming back out on stage story...I stayed there for a quite long time. Whoever made it up, it would've been almost the perfect Happy End, considering the real one. But...
I enjoyed the whole evening anyway! They play gigs almost every night. Billy as a superman, in many imadinations probably, in reality only a b*** human being I suppose...That fact might leave sometimes disappointed.
I went there to feel the spirit of SP and I found that (priceless, by the way, for those who are like "give me more because I've paid for it").
So thanks! And I'm looking forward to hear and see more from SP in the future, Best Wishes!

P.S. I was happy too :-)

24 years I’ve been waiting to see the Pumpkins Live.

And apparently it was OUR fault “the fans” not the highly paid professional musicians, that failed to make poor Billy happy enough to bring his god like self-back on to stage and finish the gig. I would have had more respect for the bloke if he stood up and said “you are a shit audience and I can’t be bothered to play for you” but no poor ole Billy Willy spat his dummy out and took his baker foil skirt back to the tour bus for a tug. Hope he enjoyed that more than I enjoyed his show.

Venue to blame, I don’t think so. I’ve been to Nott’m Arena loads of time to see many a great gig. The sound has always been first class; even at the Verve it was as loud as the Pumpkins, but still audible. The one thing I do know is that the venue doesn’t supply the band with a sound crew. Maybe they should have, couldn’t have screwed up more than the crew they bought with them.

Cost of 4 people driving from Cornwall to Nottingham £?
Cost of 2 hotel rooms £?
Food £?

Gig tickets PRICELESS

Billy if there is any room left in your arsehole now that your over inflated head would appear to be taking up all the space, then stick your Records, your DVD’s and your Ticket in with it, because mine are all going in the bin. You’ve had your last penny out of me bro.

Nice work if you can get it.

I won't harp on anymore, I think you've probably got the gist by now.

I wanted to say don't bypass us next time around. Just PLS PLS PLS book a decent venue - Rock City would be great!

The Nottingham Arena has been a huge letdown for all sorts of should-be-amazing gigs. Arcade Fire being one of them. Just don't leave us out next time.

You are one of my once in lifetime gigs and I wouldn't mind doing it again - only at a better venue. Hope you get this.....

I wont claim to be a life long Pumpkins fan, in truth until I met my boyfriend in the early part of last year I hadn't even heard of them. Call me criminal for that but I genuinely hadn't! Anyway meeting my partner who is an avid fan (avid doesn't cover it, he has everything they have ever released, and everything they haven't... he learned to play guitar at 14 inspired by Billy and the release of Cherub Rock, it really is borderline obsession!) well this resulted in me being 'subject to education' as it was described, having to listen to EVERYTHING, album by album.

I bought tickets for the gig on Valentines Day for him for Christmas last year, believing that this was the ultimate gift I could get him, knowing his devotion to the band. We were thoroughly enjoying the gig. The delight on my boyfriends face when Porcelina opened the show, instantly suspecting that the setlist would be the same as the Glasgow gig (which he thought was an awesome set!), absolutely desperate to see the performance of Cherub Rock which should have been played as the final song in the encore. What can I say really, just utter disappointment at the way in which the show was ended. You can't judge the whole audience by a few lacklustre miserly people at the front, and come on Billy what was it you wanted? - an audience of moshers who lets face it don't appreciate any of what is being played because they are too busy throwing themselves around the room! Fair enough the venue was far from full, but everyone in my line of sight was blatantly having a wicked time. I didn't realise there was a specific way in which you have to act at a Pumpkins gig in order to be deemed as enjoying yourselves. Anyway, there is little more I can say to express my disappointment of the end to the show, we loved it up until that point.

Billy if you are reading this can you answer me one thing? - If we were to see you in concert again could you guarantee there wouldn't be a repeat performance of this?

I saw the Pumpkins for the 1st time on their farewell tour at London Wembley Arena year 2000. That show was immense and possibly the most mental crowd I've ever been in (I've been in many!). From front to back everyone was going crazy to the Pumpkins, and I actually feared for my life at a few points! That energy created a huge buzz about the whole thing. I didn't rate their classics that highly as they rushed through them at double speed as if to get them out of the way. I felt many people were there coz they like "moshing" to rock music rather than coz they really love the Pumpkins. I'm probably wrong about that but you know what I mean. Overall that was a great show though and lived up to the collossus of the Pumpkins and boosted Billy's ego I expect. Fastforward to 2007 at Reading festival this year... I felt they were at their best to be honest... feeding off the crowd, long set, classics sounding awesome and they encores... Still not quite perfect as it was at a festival, so I looked forward to catching them on the UK tour in their own arena so it could be pure pumpkin land.

Fast forward a few months and I arrive at Nottingham arena about 8.00pm (early for a gig I say!)... Got a beer and then as we were entering the standing area the lights dimmed and some audience cheering began. I thought 'oh right, this must be the support band, since the stadium isn;t even half full yet...' but no, I was wrong... out came Billy and crew, launched straight into a song. SO there wasn't the usual pre-performance build up of the stadium filling, standing around with your friends awaiting the moment... it just began un-expectedly.

I knew that a half-empty/full stadium was not going to go down well with Mr "I want to be more popular than Britney Spears" Corgan. I feared he may pull a hissy and burst into tears or something. It felt almost sad.

So it took me a few tracks just to settle in to the fact that this was not like any other Pumpkins gig I'd been to before, I could actually walk right to near the front and stand still sipping my beer. Positioned strateigicly in-front of Ginger my mood evolved to positive and I began to really enjoy the apparent intimacy of the gig, it felt like seeing a small band show. The songs were played with conviction and beauty, Billy's voice sounding rich and powerful ( a bit like he is really!) Ginger played bass like she was making love to it and this certainly added a certain sexy-ness to the whole show. The lighting was hypnotic and I was totally immersed in the songs for the rest of the show... The crowd were subdued physically but I;d say my radar was picking up mental focus and passion, maybe that was just the front though. Highlights definitely 'Perfect'. 'Today', and the new one from American Gothic with the girls backing vocals was really beautiful. I bought the EP in Selecta Disc the next day (one of 3 record shops in the UK stocking it?!>!?!!!!!), disappointed the female vocals weren't featured in the recordings. Still its nice though.

So from the other posts you can gather the ending was a con but still, for me it was worth it for the temporary immersion into those unique Pumpkin musical wonderlands!

Hi guys,

We went to see the Smashing Pumpkins at Nottingham Arena and took a few photos and videos of the gig... you can see some of them here:

http://www.leighmachin.com/ShowMedia.asp?MediaSectionID=35

... We were right near the front, so the quality isn't too bad. Hope you like them.

It's a shame the band decided to finish straight after 1979... especially after only 1hour and 10mins of playing... other gigs they have done on this tour lasted well over 2hours... so i do think it's fair to feel cheated some what.

I've been a fan of the Smashing Pumpkins since around 1995 and this is the first time i have seen them live... it's a shame the band didn't share my enthusiasm on the night.

I think the best days of the Smashing Pumpkins are well and truely over, but it was still good to get a chance to see them play some of the classics live... they didn't play my favourite 'Disarm' though, which is a shame.

2/5.

This started out an amazing show as expected. I last saw the band on their farewell tour and the quality of the music was just as great as I remembered it. I can't explain how excited I was with every song they played at Nottingham.

But sadly I also can't explain my complete outrage with Billy's ego. To introduce Jimmy and not even mention the rest of the band; to make them leave the stage for Billy and Jimmy's solo, and aslo for Billy's final performance - what a crap deal! Sell-out crowed or not, and regardless of the fact there were real chavs in there that night just because they had nothing better to spend £30+ quid on - despite that, at the end of the day everyone who did turn up had paid their way to see a great rock show. And I don't have to jump around like an idiot to enjoy the music - I for one like to listen and be absorbed by the sound - I don't have to move an inch to do that.

The fact that Billy cut the show half way through is disgusting. As much as I have always loved the band, that show alone makes me feel like never buying an album or seeing their shows ever again. It's about time Billy understood that without fans there would be no Pumpkins, and I think he lost a fair few that night. How dare he 'pick and choose' which audience is 'worthy' of a full show? he should come back to Nottingham and repay what is owed. Rating: 2 stars.

What a joke this band have turned into a bunch of miserable tossers that are that stuck up their own arse they think they can walk off stage half-way though their set without saying a word to the crowd, i've seen shitloads of gigs over the past 16 years or so and without question this was the worst...£35 was a total [bad word removed]ing rip off, i was lucky to see them in 95 when they were actually good i feel completely gutted that they have turned into a bunch of money grabbing whores and the fact that they are money grabbing whores means that the won't give a shit what ex-fans like me think, [bad word removed] you Corgan and by the way Zeitgeist is a complete load of wank a [bad word removed]ing terrible album of the highest order. Go [bad word removed] yourselves Corgan and co there is no way you'll ever get a penny of my hard earned money again i wish i had a job like you when you can just [bad word removed] off and finish when you want, tossers.

Hi all... This is my first post.

i missed the pumpkins for various reasons before they split... you know im talking my idols here!!! ive been a fan of billy and co since siamese dream... collecting everything... solo stuff, the works (you know how it is!) but i never got to see them!!! Then they split... gutted!!! but ok ill leave it as a legend.

They reform!!! still the collection continues and still i enjoy! but ive still not see them... maybe i can?

Anyway my girlfriend gets me a ticket for xmas!!! here i have a ticket to see my idols!! she wants to come with me as its valentines day (our first). You know its perfect... see THE band youve always wanted to see, hotel, valentines day. awsome.

Up until the end we were both loving it!!! It was great!

Why end it so abruptly?? harsh i feel when youve got real fans in that crowd... even just an apology would have been nice, but to just walk off?!?! lets just say im a little gutted not just for me but for my girlfriend who got it for me as a treat.

so there is my sob story. i dont know if id go and see them again... especially at that price (true i didnt pay but thats not the point) to only get 2/3rds of a set.

get rid of the attitude... its your fans that have got you where you are. myself being one of them.

other than that it was a great gig... shame you ended it on such a low.

Cant describe how gutted and disappointed we were... spoiled the night and our respect for SP forever - even for a long time SP fan!!
1. You can't blame people for arriving late - I also haven't seen many bands came on stage before 9pm.
2. I accept the fact that there was not a lot of noise/atmosphere from the crowd just because the stadium wasn't even half full. People were in good spirit and showed their appreciation by cheering and clapping hands. If Billy and Co. thought they dont need to play the full set because of the atmosphere, they are totally wrong and I can only say they are just stupid - they should appreciate the people that turned out and paid full price for the tickets! It's not our fault that the stadium wasn't full.
3. Manner?! SP don't even know what the word means! Just disappeared without a word - a simple 'bye' would be better than nothing if he couldnt bring himself to say 'thank you'.
4. Billy complained that nobody bought their new singles... it was initially only available on iTunes. If they decide to make it exclusive, do I need to say more?
OK - they were good live when they were playing; I couldn't knock that. We were so looking forward to it but that's what we got.
Just remember, respect is a two-way thing. Why should we respect them as a band after their 'performance'!
And to rub it in, we saw Linkin Park at the same venue just a few weeks ago and they were superb - and with respect and manner! Maybe SP should check the size of their boots...

Was interesting to hear that Billy came out after a while for a chat with the few people who did stay, although sad to say i wasn't there for that.
Initially a bit gutted for no encore, but tried to be a bit philosophical about the whole thing.
Was excellent seeing my heros for the first time and it was a great gig for the time it lasted, which wasn't an insignificant amount of time of course, which people may not fully appreciate.
Shame how it ended of course, but great for when it happened (musically!).