Review

Hi everybody,

I went to see the Pumpkins at their first concert for Adore in my hometown Hamburg, Germany on may 14. The show , which was open-air and free, was scheduled to begin at 19.00. When I arrived at the venue, the Spielbudenplatz in the center of Hamburg, more than one hour before the concert was about to start, the Pumpkins were doing their soundcheck with a big crowd, already there, listening to them. When they finished D'arcy said "We thank the Smashing Pumpkins for letting us open for them." I looked for a good place to watch the show, but the 50 meters in front of the stage were still blocked. So I stood in the area behind the 50 meters, when they suddenly removed the barrier and everybody ran to the stage. I was fast enough and had only four rows of people between me and the stage. While we waited for the concert to begin, they played Jazz and Soulmusic and I could watch the preparations on the stage. I counted 15 guitars (three acoustic) and basses on the left where Billy and D'arcy where standing during the show and 6 guitars on the right side where James would stand later. In the rear they had built up three large drumsets and three keyboards and a piano. Meanwhile more and more fans arrived. They expected 5000 people to come to the show, but I read in the Newspaper today that there were 25000-30000 fans to see the performance. There were people on the phone boxes, on the roofs of the houses surrounding the place and on top of trucks parked in the street next to the Spielbudenplatz. Then at 19.15 the Pumpkins came on stage, D'arcy told the audience that we wouldn't know most of the songs because they are from their new album, then the Pumpkins opened the concert with To Sheila.
Billy was well shaved and looked 100% healthy and happy. He was all in black with a leather coat. D'arcy wore light grey trousers, a white blouse, which was pretty transparent (!), and a strange hat. James was like Billy dressed all in black, his black hair covered his face while he played his guitar. After To Sheila they played the Songs from Adore, which I can't name because I haven't heard them yet. Of course, they played Ava Adore and I recognised 1979, Tonight Tonight, Bullet with Butterfly Wings and a Pumpkin version of Help from the Beatles. At the end of the concert Billy said that he enjoyed playing in the town where the Beatles started their career. Between two songs Billy made a joke by saying that the next band would be the Scorpions (heard of them?). When the crowd started booing he said "Hey, I like the Scorpions!". Before singing Tonight, Tonight he asked the audience to sing along because he was old now and his voice wasn't like it used to be. After one hour of rocking Smashing Pumpkins music I found myself in the first row, because most of the people who were standing next to me in the beginning, had been pulled out by the securities. During the hole show there where people coming over our heads from the back. Despite the other 24999-29999 fans pushing me against the front barrier I was able to take a lot of photos. :)
After the concert, which ended at 21.10, I felt like a smashed pumpkin!!

The whole show was recorded by Germany's VIVA-music-television with one camera on the stage and a second one in a tent in front of the stage. Of course I will try to tape everything when they show it on television. Don't mail me and ask about the photos I took. I don't have them yet and I will definitively try to get them in the Internet soon.

I am sorry if that was too long and that I could not give you more details about the songs they played. Mail me if you want to know something that I have forgotten to write down.

I hope you can go to one of their concerts soon,

    Hendrik

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