Billy Corgan to Tour Smashing Pumpkins Songs With New Band, the Machines of God
Corgan and the Machines of God will look back at classic records from the Smashing Pumpkins, along with selections from their latest. The tour comes to Canada for three dates in June.
Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins performs on stage during an Acoustic-Electro evening at Paramount Theatre on March 23, 2016 in Seattle.
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan will be playing classics from his beloved group when he hits the road this summer, though his backing group will look a little different.
Hitting the live trail throughout June, Corgan will be joined by his new band, the Machines of God, for the 16-date tour of North America.
Dubbed A Return to Zero, the trek sees Corgan and his band touring in support of the 30th anniversary of the Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and the 25th anniversary of the 2000 albums Machina/The Machines of God and Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music. The tour will feature classics and deep cuts from the records, along with selections from 2024’s Aghori Mhori Mei.
Joining Corgan in the Machines of God is nascent Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Kiki Wong, drummer Jake Hayden, and bassist Kid Tigrrr (aka Jenna Fournier of NIIGHTS).
This isn’t the only retrospective look that Corgan is taking in 2025. In early March, Corgan detailed a forthcoming series of performances which sees him and the Lyric Opera of Chicago reimagining Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness in a new operatic light in November. “Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions, and I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work; for the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way,” Corgan explained.
Mellon Collie was issued in 1995 as the band’s third album, and managed to become the Smashing Pumpkins’ first release to debut atop the Billboard 200. The record also garnered seven nominations at the 1997 Grammys, including album of the year and best alternative music album, ultimately winning best hard rock performance for lead single, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.”
Meanwhile, Machina/The Machines of God arrived in February 2000 as the band’s last studio album to be commercially released ahead of their breakup later that year. The record hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and received a Grammy nomination for best recording package.
Its follow-up, Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music, was released in September of 2000 as a free download after plans to release the records as a double album fell through. A long-awaited reissue of the Machina albums is set to arrive later in the year.
Billy Corgan and the Machines of God – A Return to Zero North American Tour
June 7 – Baltimore Soundstage, Baltimore, MD
June 9 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
June 11 – Kee to Bala, Muskoka, ON
June 12 – History, Toronto, ON
June 13 – Beanfield Theatre, Montreal, QC
June 15 – Irving Plaza, New York, NY
June 16 – Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA
June 17 – Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA
June 19 – St. Andrew’s Hall, Detroit, MI
June 20 – Taste of Joliet, Joliet, IL
June 21 – Intersection, Grand Rapids, MI
June 23 – Roxian Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
June 25 – House of Blues Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
June 26 – Bogart’s, Cincinnati, OH
June 27 – Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI
June 29 – Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN
