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Smashing Pumpkins’ reunited lineup coming to Amalie Arena in Tampa

Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin are back.
 
Published Feb. 15, 2018|Updated Feb. 15, 2018

If you're a Smashing Pumpkins fan, today is the greatest day you've ever known.

After weeks of speculation, the band is getting back on the road with a mostly reunited classic lineup led by frontman Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Their summer tour will hit Tampa's Amalie Arena on July 25 — their first local show with that core since 1993 at the Ritz. (A 1996 show at the Ice Palace took place just after the band fired Chamberlin over drug issues that contributed to the fatal overdose of touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin.)

Not joining the group on this tour is ex-bassist D'arcy Wretzky, who's been feuding with Corgan about the potential reunion in recent weeks. The band will retain longtime touring guitarist Jeff Schroeder to flesh out its sound.

On to happier news: On the new tour, Smashing Pumpkins say they'll focus exclusively on songs from their classic heydey, from 1992's Gish to 2000's Machina albums. That includes such all-time alt-rock smashes as Today, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1979, Cherub Rock and Tonight, Tonight.

"This show and staging will be unlike any we've ever done and will feature a set unlike any we've ever played," Corgan said in a statement. "For if this is a chance at a new beginning, we plan on ushering it in with a real bang."

Tickets to the Tampa show are $29 and up, and they go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 23. Click here for details.

— Jay Cridlin