Smashing Pumpkins Mock Tour Setlist Controversy

Smashing Pumpkins recently took to their Instagram account and responded to the backlash after Billy Corgan’s recent comments. Corgan appeared to poke fun at criticism over his setlist remarks regarding playing hit songs, showing how many classics the Pumpkins are playing on tour.

Billy Corgan comments

Billy Corgan, who is not happy with Emo disrespect, recently made some remarks and noted that he stands against the fan requests for the songs at the concerts. The band frontman made it clear he’ll only be playing songs he wants to – regardless of fans’ demands.

Corgan recently joined in for an interview with Kerrang!, where he dismissed the notion that Smashing Pumpkins must perform certain songs to satisfy their fanbase.

“I don’t play any songs I don’t want to play. I don’t care if they’re a classic or not,” the guitarist says. “If I don’t want to play it, I just don’t play it. I don’t put that on the audience like, ‘Well, I’ve got to play this one for you.’ I think that’s kind of cheese.”

Though Corgan noted “it’s not a bad thing that [fans] want to hear songs that they love,” he cautioned that bands “can’t live in the past. It’s the death of any artist.”

“It’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it,” the frontman continued explaining his resistance to nostalgia.

“Because there’s the classic thing where there’s a devil on one shoulder and angel on the other, and the devil goes, ‘Hey, man, if you just write in these extra five songs that people want to hear, you’re going to have a really easy night, and no-one’s going to be mad at you.’ But that’s not why you’re up there. And you have to remember that there’s this other part of the audience that wants to see you today.”

Smashing Pumpkins respond

Billy Corgan soon faced backlash due to his comments. Following that, on Instagram, the official account of the band posted their setlist and sarcastically said they didn’t play the hit songs of the band. The caption read:

“I want to address the elephant (rhinoceros) in the room – about SP not playing the hits or fan favorites. Just going to leave this here – here is SP not playing the hits in Glasgow at @ovohydro.
Does anyone know any songs on this playlist? Super deep cuts/not fan favorites but thank you Glasgow for being absolutely aff yer HEIDS last night. Spectacular audience. Will show more of SP not playing hits/fan favourites as the tour goes on!”