Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Wednesday, November 13,1 <1 G byjei s the lights went off, the C rM lifters went on, the crowd I 1 stood and the Smashing V Pumpkins' soft instrumental "Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness" filled the room. Fans, both the young and the younger, packed into the Carolina Coliseum complete with dyed hair, wallet chains and body piercings. Smashing Pumpkins, along with Garbage, appeared at the Coliseum Monday. Pumpkin followers showed their devotion to the band whose double CD "Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness" went platinum seven times. . While sporting their newly purchased t-shirts, fans cheered, stomped and thrashed. Prior to when the Smashing Pumpkins took the stage, some audience members played with black, red and NHtKI THORPS The Gamecock Qarbage, with toad singer Shirley Manson, opened for the Smashing Pumpkins with songs such as "Stupid Girl." 1 "?oil slloul( Sfudy liar Associate *fou can g< . n? & if Tip << i XJO * I a 30. >1 a cr< fmp n . 996 4_* masnir ?th?? "oliSfZUI wifcr Stanley, features 6ditoi Bryee Gibson, <?>taff Writer white balloons. After the opening instrumental, the group took the stage. They quickly got into their hit song "Zero." The crowd went crazy at the sound of lead singer Billy Corgan's screeching voice. The audience joined Co^gan in singing the lyrics "Emptiness is loneliness, loneliness is cleanliness, cleanliness is godliness and God is empty just like me" Corgan and his gang appeased the so-called "MTV kids" with their _* r?rn : _Li ? ?1 J yei luimance ui xuiugiii, uis aim "Today." Corgan's real talent was more evident in these songs along with "We only come out at night." The live version of this current hit varied slightly from the recorded version with the sound more active and engaging. The audience became more involved in "1979," which was one of their many encores, after James Iha, lead guitarist, prompted the audience to get more enthusiastic. Six fans were invited on stage to dance and jam with the band (this proved unnecessary). During the "selection process," people were screaming in hopes that they would be one of the lucky dancers. "The World is a Vampire," "Bullet with Butterfly Wings," "XYU" and "By Starlight" were among other songs on their set list. The Smashing Pumpkins ended their main set with "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans." They left the stage in complete darkness with the hyped crowd cheering for more. They returned to the stage for several encores. The last encore consisted of the band jamming for about 20 minutes. Corgan's voice was heard between loud, booming bass lines. Corgan and Iha were obviously un col i spend your colle d, liave fun, and c s MasterCard8 Ca z(: uinual fee o 3% C?Lsb. b?L fees UJ ipiiltUe prej edit line Up my, just ET *? * n ft r and entranced by their music. Their success reflects their love for what they produce. Bassist D'arcy, however, seemed less than excited and a little bored throughout the whole show. Often times it seemed as if Corgan was so engrossed in his performance that he lacked communication with the audience. They did, however, interact more with the audience during the encore performances. "We used to talk, but it got us in a lot of trouble. So now we just play music," Coigan said during one of his few "talks" with the audience. Iha had the best stage presence compared to everyone in the band. He played and chatted more with the audience. During these "chats," his diy humor was evident. With the recent dismissal of the drummer, Jimmy Chamberlain, a new drummer took the stage. He delivered a confident performance. He obviously picked up the music quickly and there wasn't a noticeable deficiency. The main locus of the concert was their heavy, loud music. The soft, slow songs were few and far between. Their double CD offers more diversity in sound. All-in-all, The Pumpkins delivered what could be called a "smashing" performance. Garbage quickly gained approval from the audience, liiey highlighted their show with such singles as"Stupid Girl," "Only Happy When It Rains" and Queer." When Garbage, lead by lead singer " Shirley Manson, left the show after their 45 minute set, the crowd cheered and E roared with their approval. n bOS| lege :ge years wisely. rarry an rd. as! IV V ?! t ch a/il Jaaiuary >aid TjJlone <o -$2,SOO JL ? J can wu I Associates National r 4 B^hHk |S 8r Bw mSSS&Bk (Illy Corgan, lead singer of The Smashing Pumpkins, nembers screamed, danced, sang and stomped In appr flAMili Ulf JWIUJI years , \ a .10 i J*1* * ? V 4 ^ 1997 trd Fx.. 4 ana irss i-o o-9l Bank (Delaware) 5 visited the Carolina Coliseum Monday. Audience oval of the performance. w I ^ a. ^vLwri^^HK. ND-OKE. *V