As THE SMASHING PUMPKINS get ready to launch their North American “20th Anniversary Tour” October 31, the band’s powerful new song “G.L.O.W.” is now the #1 most added song at Modern Rock Radio, receiving 94 adds in just two weeks and logging over 850 spins in its first week alone.  

Now independent artists who are releasing music in unconventional ways, the pioneering and influential Pumpkins are making “G.L.O.W.” available via the upcoming Guitar Hero® World Tour game.  This marks the first time a band has recorded a new song exclusively for the franchise which will be released afterwards, giving Guitar Hero® fans exclusive access to Smashing Pumpkins music before anyone else.

Bundled with two other rocking Smashing Pumpkins hits–“1979” and “The Everlasting Gaze”–“G.L.O.W.” will be available post-launch (November 11) of the game as a three-song downloaded content pack. Additionally, on-disc with the October 26 release of Guitar Hero World Tour, Corgan will appear as an in-game character and will bring with him “Today,” the band’s smash hit from their pivotal and four-times platinum 1993 album Siamese Dream.

Pumpkins fans will be able to see the group perform “G.L.O.W.” live Friday, October 24 on the outdoor stage at ABC-TV’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”  Next, the Pumpkins will make a return performance at the annual Bridge School benefit hosted by Neil Young in Shoreline, CA on October 26 (the second of the two-night engagement).  The band last performed at this annual event–benefiting children with severe speech and physical impairments–in 1999.

The Pumpkins begin a five-week North American “20th Anniversary Tour” on October 31.  The run will be highlighted by multi-night stops in such cities as Chicago, Toronto, New York, Washington, Boston, Kansas City and Los Angeles. With such a vast repertoire, the Pumpkins are coming prepared with completely different set lists in each of the multi-night engagements with no songs being repeated over the course of the two night run.  Night #1 is being called “Black Sunshine,” while night #2 will be dubbed “White Crosses.”  A special two-night ticket bundle will be available for all multi-night engagements. 

The band’s upcoming two-DVD set If All Goes Wrong is due out November 11 and consists of a 105-minute documentary, also titled If All Goes Wrong, plus The Fillmore Residency, a full concert filmed in late July and early August of 2007 over five of the 11 sold-out nights at the famed Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, CA. From the opening note to the final chord, the documentary If All Goes Wrong showcases a band returning with an “enveloping epic force” (Los Angeles Times) as it traces the Pumpkins during their 19-show residency, which began with eight shows at Asheville, NC’s Orange Peel in late June and continued through 11 sold-out nights at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium. Interviews with band members, fans, journalists and fellow musicians reveal the fears, excitement, determination, exhaustion and tension inherent in Billy Corgan and his newly revitalized musical unit. 

The “20th Anniversary Tour” dates are below. An asterisk (*) signifies a newly added date.  Note: The 10/31 date in Columbus is a special acoustic performance.

DATE                     CITY             VENUE                               
 
*Fri     10/31   Columbus, OH   Newport Music Hall 
Sat      11/1    Cleveland, OH    Palace Theatre
Mon     11/3    Toronto, ONT    Massey Hall
Tue      11/4   Toronto, ONT    Massey Hall
Thu      11/6   New York, NY    United Palace Theatre
Fri       11/7     New York, NY   United Palace Theatre 
Sat      11/8   Atlantic City, NJ   Borgata 
Tue      11/11 Washington, DC  DAR Constitution Hall
Wed    11/12   Washington, DC  DAR Constitution Hall
Fri       11/14   Boston, MA        Wang Center 
Sat      11/15   Boston, MA        Wang Center 
Sun     11/16   Uncasville, CT   Mohegan Sun Arena
Tue      11/18 Chicago, IL         Chicago Theatre
Wed    11/19   Chicago, IL        Chicago Theatre
Fri       11/21  Chicago, IL        Auditorium Theatre 
Sat      11/22   Chicago, IL       Auditorium Theatre 
Wed    11/26   St. Louis           Fox Theatre 
*Sat     11/29   Las Vegas, NV Pearl 
Sun     11/30   San Diego, CA  RIMAC Arena
Tue      12/2    Los Angeles, CA   Gibson Amphitheatre 
Wed    12/3     Los Angeles, CA   Gibson Amphitheatre 
www.smashingpumpkins.com
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Annual benefit co-sponsored by LCCC and WGAR for the benefit of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Fight Against Breast Cancer stars Lee Ann Womack, Jaime O’Neal & Laura Fedor.
 
Sunday, October 12, 2008 – 7:30pm
WGAR 99.5 presents Girls With Guitars at Stocker Arts Center

Starring Lee Ann Womack, Jamie O’Neal and Laura Fedor

LEE ANN WOMACK – After spending several years as a professional songwriter, Lee Ann Womack became one of the breakout contemporary country stars of 1997 with her debut album. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Texas, Womack became infatuated with music at an early age, which is appropriate for the daughter of a disc jockey. Her father often took her to work, where she picked out records to play on the air. Following high school graduation, she attended South Plains Junior College in Levelland, Texas. The school was one of the first in the country to offer degrees in country and bluegrass music, and Womack soon became a member of the college’s band, Country Caravan. They traveled throughout the South and California and Lee Ann stayed with the group until she left South Plains to study music business at Belmont University in Nashville. That led to an internship in MCA’s A&R department.

By 1990, she had settled in Nashville, where she married and became a mother. Soon, she began singing on songwriting demos and performing her own showcase concerts. Eventually, she was spotted by Tree Publishing at one of those showcases and in 1995 the company signed her after listening to one of her original demos. While she was a staff writer at Tree Publishing, she co-wrote songs with Ed Hill, Bill Anderson, Sam Hogin and Mark Wright. Her songs were recorded by Anderson and Ricky Skaggs. Within a year after signing to Tree, Womack signed to Decca Records as a recording artist. Wright was hired as the producer for her debut album, which was comprised of both original material and songs written by other professional songwriters. Mark Chesnutt, Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White and Tony Brown all appeared on the record, which created a buzz in the industry.

Lee Ann Womack’s eponymous album was released in May of 1997, and shortly after its release, it reached the Top Ten on the country chart. I Hope You Dance followed in mid-2000. Something Worth Leaving Behind appeared in mid-2002, and it was a sure fit for Womack to move into the country mainstream for good. A Season for Romance was released before the year’s end, but Womack was itching for the stage. In early 2003, Womack earned a small part on the CBS drama The District. She also earned two Grammy nods: one for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Something Worth Leaving Behind and Best Vocal Collaboration (Country) for her duet with Willlie Nelson on Mendocino County Line.

JAMIE O’NEAL first struck Music City gold as a sought-after songwriter; it was only later that her own singing career blossomed. O’Neal was born Jamie Murphy in Australia to professional musician parents who eventually moved to Las Vegas and a casino gig via Hawaii. Eventually, Jamie and her sister Samantha began to perform with their parents. This led to a vagabond childhood spent traveling across America in an RV, performing at state fairs, conventions, and as an opening act for touring country stars. The family then moved to Nashville, where they recorded three self-released albums.

In 1998, she got a recording contract with Mercury Nashville. Her country-pop debut, Shiver, was released in early 2000; it was nominated for three Grammy awards. That year, she also married her husband, Rodney Good. In June 2003, their daughter Aliyah was born. In 2005 she released her second album, Brave, on Capitol Records. Two chart toppers came from that album, Trying to Find Atlantis and Somebody’s Hero. She is known as one of the industry’s most prolific songwriters and a premiere powerhouse vocalist.

LAURA FEDOR is widely known and sought after for her sensational singing ability. She has performed statewide for many county fairs and competitions. Laura was named the 2007 Chardon Idol and she won in her division in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square Rising Star competition. But these competitions were only events to get her prepared for her biggest venture, NBC’s Nashville Star competition. Laura Fedor’s name is now known throughout the country, having been selected to compete in the nationally televised reality show competition as a duet. During Nashville Star, Laura worked professionally and with great focus under the extraordinary scrutiny to get as far as she could. She and her duet partner were among the top 6 contestants out of 45,000 auditions. Laura has since been recognized by the industry’s top players.

Tickets: $35/each. Online orders include a $1 per ticket handling fee.

Lindsey Buckingham
Cleveland, Ohio
October 1st, 2008
Show Time: 8:40 pm

 
You always know it’s going to be a good day when Lindsey Buckingham is in town, especially if you have a ticket to the show.  Lindsey played the House of Blues last night and was worth every penny you paid for a ticket.  No opening band, he needs no crowd warm up.  No fancy stage, it’s distracting.  No flashy stage show, he doesn’t need it.  He did however have a great setlist that featured his solo material as well as the crowd’s favorite ‘Fleetwood Mac’ songs.

This was an intimate event, Lindsey up close and personal…and how much more personal can you get without playing in someone’s living room?  I’ll tell you, before the show, Lindsey had the house get rid of the barricade that keeps the unwanted up on stage.  Lindsey wanted to make sure that if you wanted to get close, he didn’t mind.  The sound mix was phenomenal.  Lindsey’s voice was crystal clear, as it always is and his backing vocals hit the right notes. 

Lindsey played his Rick Turner Model 1guitar most of the night and for most of the show he went pick-less.  He says that he can’t accomplish the type of sound he wants from his guitar with a pick.   As a matter of fact, back when he joined Fleetwood Mac, the band wanted him to use a pick and Lindsey tried to adapt but later convinced them he had a better sound by playing with his fingers.  Just listen to one of his Fleetwood Mac tunes, or pick up his solo album and you’ll easily pick up the custom sound he creates with that Rick Turner Model 1 and his fingers.

You can see by the setlist that it’s pretty much standard as to what he plays from town to town, but what it doesn’t show you is the amazing way that he performs these songs live.
Take ‘Tusk’ as example.  You ask yourself how can he make it sound as good as it was when he had the USC Marching Band help him out…trust me, it was better.  The way he takes control and recreates the songs while he is on stage is nothing short of amazing.

The song ‘I’m So Afraid’ is good on the album, but when the man plays it live he makes it so you never want the thing to end.  When you hear the song ‘I Know I’m Not Wrong’ on the album you want to get up and dance or get up and move in anyway you can.  It’s an upbeat song that puts you in the rock and roll frame of mind…BUT, when he plays it live and vocalizes the ‘Da dah daht daht daht’ you want to rip of all of your clothes and dance naked…but you have to remember it’s live and others are watching, so jump inside your mind, get naked and dance all your cares away…that’s what Lindsey would want…do whatever it takes to make yourself feed good.  If you walked into that show down and depressed you should have left alive and refreshed, if you didn’t, well, you couldn’t have been depressed when you left.  The show was that good.

For all you die hard ‘Fleetwood Mac’ concert goers, he played a few of the songs he created for them and did them well, especially ‘Never Going Back Again’ and ‘Go Your Own Way’, but this was a Lindsey Buckingham show.  It was right on the money and was like a circus for your ears.  So, was it a good show? Nope, it was a great show, and as usual, kick yourself in the ass if you missed it or have a friend do it for you, either way you missed it.

—Set List—

Great Day
Love Runs Deeper
Trouble
Go Insane
Tusk
I Know I’m Not Wrong
Gift of Screws
Never Goin Back Again
Big Love
Shut Us Down
Under The Skin
Did You Miss Me
Come
World Turning
I’m So Afraid
Go Your Own Way
—Encore—
Second Hand News
Don’t Look Down
Treason
Time Precious Time

Mike
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