Memories | The Smashing Pumpkins

spot the magnificent pumpkin stickers

Matthew Schleim Southern NJ, US

before this gig I did in school, I bought a bunch of cheap stickers on etsy and amazon and some paint from hobby lobby and decorated the shit out of my fender (My main inspiration was D’arcy’s Jazz bass with all those Holographic stickers on em’). Anyway my Op-amp muff also came in the day of so I didn’t have to use this 20 dollar octave fuzz I found in a thrift store anymore. it worked fine in soundcheck but ironically it flunked when I actually had to perform, so i had to use the high gain in my Marshall.

thanks a lot billy! >:(

and happy birthday

I’ve finally seen my hero last year!

Teri Policarpio Manila, PH

SP and Billy Corgan had been my music hero since I was in high school. I finally saw them last year, had to get the VIP, and it was all worth it, especially when Billy looked in my direction. Oh and we caught the towel he threw lol! Happy birthday Billy! I hope you live forever!

The Pumpkins

Eduardo Santillan Mexico City, MX

The Pumpkins is the band I’ve seen live more times than any other, first time was in the Oceania tour, that was arguably my first real concert, then I saw them three times in the same year, after that it was the first and only (so far) Mexican edition of The World Is A Vampire which honestly was ahead of it’s time and would be amazing if it comes back (please WPC). Last time I saw them was last Sunday at Vive Latino, I love this band and I love WPC, every time they come to Mexico City you know I’m going to be there watching. Happy birthday WPC thanks for everything.

Roberto Gonçalo Carcavelos, PT

I was 13 when i heard 1979, and fell in love with all the album… Been a fan since 1995 and now over 43, my wedding had the TSP theme and Alice in Wonderland, i still love and feel what i felt back that days everytime i hear your songs. I wish you an amazing birthday and many more to come. Thanks for beeing part of my life and family.

Cheers

Rob

PS: i wrote once, inspires by to night to night, somethings like this: Believe in me as i believe on you… Today we dream, tomorrow will come true…

Love you Billy

After a long time

Fernanda VT Mexico City, MX

Finally, at Vive Latino, I got to see Smashing Pumpkins live. It was worth the five-hour wait because, in the end, the one who saw the show wasn’t the 26-year-old woman I am now; it was the 10-year-old girl who discovered them playing Rock Band, the teenager who cried listening to “Mayonnaise,” and the one who feels like a rat in a cage on public transport.

Billy and his genius mean so much to me. His music makes me feel like I’m not alone. Congratulations. May the years to come celebrate your legacy.

Letters to Billy

Craig Kansas City, US

I remember meeting you after the show at the metro, the first waltz, when you played with your father. You talked to us about the Arising tour and sign my Mellon collie booklet. I wrote you a letter to thank you, and Melissa M. called me and got me tickets to the sold out Cincinnati or Arising show. I will always appreciate that and remember that. Thank you and I hope you have a fantastic birthday, mine is on the 15th so we mirror each other by 10 years. Take care

Craig

The Day I Met My Idol

Darcy Heenan Oshawa, Ontario, CA

Highlight of my life!! WPC was leaning on me, I am short. I could feel his rib cage & genuine heart. The guy taking our pic from the front couldnt figure out my Olympus SLR camera so this angle was captured by someone else! I love it! Taken after the small show at a church in Toronto, Ontario CANADA. Blinking With Fists poetry book signing happened earlier that day at Chapters. I would love to see the photos those professional photographers took!!!

Thank you, Billy, for writing the songs that helped me grow, heal and become the person that I am today. The difference you have made in my life is immeasurable by playing the emotions, providing the soundtrack to my life!

Introducing my son to The Smashing Pumpkins

Donna Yonkers, US

My son and I share an intense love for music! For years I kept telling him ‘wait until you get into The Smashing Pumpkins”. The time finally came summer of 2025. He is obsessed! I bought him the Aeroplane Flies High box set and zero tshirt for Christmas and he bought me the Melon Collie shirt. I saw the Smashing Pumpkins at Lallapaluzza. It would be a dream for me to go to a Smashing Pumpkins concert with him!! I am always searching for concert dates/tickets. I would even travel out of New York! Please, please put me on a subscription to receive updates! I’m such a proud mama of a son with excellent music taste! I ❤️ The Smashing Pumpkins!!! Music is life!

Warm up show at Northern Illinois University

Carl Jensen Longmont, CO, US

SP held the Mellon Collie release party at the Rivieria Theatre in Chicago on 10/23/1995. To prepare for it, they played some warmup shows at universities in Illinois. I saw the show at Northern Illinois University.

At the time, Bullet With Butterfly Wings (BWBW) had been released as a single and the video was getting lots of play on MTV. My favorite concert memory of all time was when SP played this song.

During the quiet part of BWBW, all of the house lights went down. I couldn’t see anything except some of the lights on amps onstage. Then when the guitars kick in for the bombastic ending, strobe lights came on and the crowd lost its mind. I was in the balcony and seeing everyone on the floor thrashing like maniacs and losing their minds was pretty fucking awesome.

What a show, what an album.

High school and MTV

Junior Dias Taubaté, SP, BR

In 1996, I was 14 and in my last year of middle school (junior high). The music video for “Tonight, Tonight” premiered on MTV Brasil and quickly became one of the most requested videos all day long. At the time, I worked at a video rental store and would always wait for the time slot of *Disk MTV*, the show that played the most-requested videos. And when “Tonight, Tonight” would start, I’d crank the TV volume all the way up, stopping everything I was doing just to watch that beauty.

It was only a few years later that I was able to buy the CD, and last year I finally got to see them play it live at the concert in São Paulo—it was a true teenage dream come true.

Thru The Eyes of Ruby

Ava Adore Bandung, ID

“Ngobrol sama kamu, jadi pengen nyetel Thru The Eyes of Ruby.” Sejujurnya aku gak pernah bener-bener dengerin Mellon Collie sealbum. Lagu itu cukup awam buat aku. Sambil bercakap-cakap via Whatsapp, aku nyolong dengerin Thru The Eyes Of Ruby. Aku baca baik-baik liriknya. Aku pun jadi ikutan suka. Gak cuma suka sama lagunya. Tapi aku suka aja kalo ada orang yang dengerin lagu itu jadi inget aku.

Luna

Adriana Madrid, ES

This is an art piece I draw during my endless sessions listening to MCIS. It has the vibe of Tonight tonight videoclip inspired by Meliès film. By that time I was 15/16 years old and this album definitely changed my life, I still recall how I was fascinated by the artwork showcased in the album and the aesthetic used in that era (videos, photographs of Billy, James and Darcy, especially her), their clothes…). They were ahead of their time!

Hillary Ojai, US

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness changed my life. I got it in my Easter basket when I was 15 years old, and I have never been the same. I was a sad teenager, and the music held me like a cradle. It gave me hope that there were people out there like me. It inspired my writing (I would much later in life go on to get my masters in wriring). I saw a picture of Billy Corgan at a radio station, and it dawned on me, in my bedroom that day, that radio and music would be my career path. I celebrate 26 years in radio this year. I’ll never forget hearing Porcelina for the first time on my Discman, lying down on my daybed, just overcome with a wash of emotion for music that never went away after that night.

Mellon Collie opened up the floodgates of creativity and belonging for me. It shaped me in innumerable ways and I’ve been grateful for it every single day for the past thirty years.

First Pumpkins Song – Tonight Tonight

Hareez Kuala Lumpur, MY

My friend introduced me to SP with Tonight Tonight back in 1998. It blown my mind thinking how it perfectly played with my emotion as I go through the phases of that song. I started digging SP materials since then. I stumbled into Ava Adore and I’m pretty sure I heard it before in a Levi’s commercial. But I couldn’t find the commercial anywhere online now. Can somebody confirm if Ava Adore ever been used for a Levi’s commercial in the 90’s?

Karen Tlaquepaque, MX

I remember being 16 and in high school. I was going through depression after my father’s death, and my boyfriend had left me. I heard the song 1979 on VH1, and it had a sound unlike anything I’d ever heard before. It was the rainy season, and I couldn’t stop listening to it. It stayed in my head so much that even now, 20 years later, 1979 is still my favorite song. Somehow, when I listen to it, my memories are nothing but good ones, despite those being the worst days of my life. The power of that song transformed the meaning of sadness for me.

FAN MEMORIES

Justo en la adolescencia🫀

Lirol Mermaid Mexicali, Baja California, MX

Alberto Torres Ciudad De MÉxico, MX

spot the magnificent pumpkin stickers

Matthew Schleim Southern NJ, US

Terry Harrisburg, PA, US

I’ve finally seen my hero last year!

Teri Policarpio Manila, PH

Gabriela Montiel México CITY, MX

The Pumpkins

Eduardo Santillan Mexico City, MX

Happy Mexican bday !

Lady Love Cdmx , MX

Roberto Gonçalo Carcavelos, PT

First meeting!

John LaMantia Chicago illinois , US

Summer gig in greece dipped in mayonnaise

Nick Polyzopoulos Thessaloniki, GR

Foja rajagukguk Al khor, QA