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Can you believe this year’s line-up? From rock legends The Smashing Pumpkins making their much anticipated return to Montreal after a 7 year hiatus, to hometown favourites Patrick Watson, the Sam Roberts Band and Miracle Fortress showcasing the best Montreal’s vibrant music scene has to offer, Osheaga will show the world that this town knows how to rock – indie style!
Find everything you want to know about your favourite bands or artists right here, right now.
Rising with the grunge movement of the early 1990’s, The Smashing Pumpkins are one of the most influential forces in modern rock history. From their humble beginnings in Chicago in 1988, the band went on to record and release their debut Gish in 1991 (which eventually sold platinum). Gish was just a sign of what was to come as the foursome of Billy Corgan, James Iha, D’Arcy Wretzky, and Jimmy Chamberlain, forged a sound like no other from a mix of shredding metal guitars, ‘80s dark pop, and the unique and powerful drumming of the jazz-trained Chamberlain. Their follow up to Gish, Siamese Dream (1993), saw the band attain mainstream success, and songs such as “Disarm” and “Today” became staples of alternative rock radio and anthems for an entire generation. Still, after the success of Siamese Dream, Corgan & Co. showed no signs of slowing down. Headlining the legendary Lollapalooza tour of 1994 exposed the Pumpkins to legions of fans who were to discover that not only were they one of the most exciting recorded bands out there, but their live performances saw the songs taking on a whole new energy that fueled moshpits across North America. The following year saw the band release the 28 songs that made up Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - a nine-times platinum selling rock masterpiece that explored themes of life and death. The album produced five singles – three of which went gold – and all but one entered the Top 40.
After tumultuous events in 1996, the band continued to tour and record extensively, releasing the electro-influenced albums Adore in 1998 and Machina in 2000.
The Smashing Pumpkin’s last Montreal performance took place at Parc Jean Drapeau August 12, 2000 (coincidently the site that now hosts Osheaga!). Armed with their new record entitled Zeitgeist released on July 10th, you can be sure the Pumpkins will be in fine form. Osheaga is proud to have the Pumpkins back in Montreal, and back at Parc Jean Drapeau for the second edition of Osheaga Music and Arts Festival!
www.smashingpumpkins.com
