The '90s band teams up with Humane Society upon release of new album
By Maureen Inouye
Listen to a great band and save pets at the same time. That's music to everyone's ears.
The Smashing Pumpkins, along with Satellite Party, will be playing at Pet Aid 2007 at the Amphitheater in Clark County on Friday.
"I'm so excited. I've always wanted to see them," said Amy Brainard, a junior nursing major. A long time Smashing Pumpkins fan, she plans to attend the concert with four of her friends.
Pet Aid 2007 is the third annual concert to benefit the DoveLewis Building Project and the Oregon Humane Society's Second Chance program. Both are non-profit animal care organizations.
The concert is sponsored by 94/7 FM, a local radio station. The Amphitheater in Clark County is in Ridgefield, Wash. - about a 30 minute drive from campus.
Each ticket costs between $35 and $50; $2 from the sale of each ticket will benefit the pet charities.
"I would have gone anyway, but that makes me feel better about buying my tickets," said Brainard about the charity connection.
The DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital specializes in emergency and critical care for pets around Portland.
The organization hopes to use the money raised by Pet Aid to pay for its new facility. The new building, with 24 hour care, costs $8 million, but only about $2 million has been raised so far. For more information, see dovelewis.org.
The Oregon Humane Society's Second Chance program finds homes for hundreds of dogs and cats every year. These pets are usually transferred from smaller animal shelters and humane societies. See oregonhumane.org for details.
At Pet Aid 2007, songs from the Smashing Pumpkins' latest album, "Zeitgeist," will be showcased during the concert.
This is the group's first tour since the original band broke up in 2000. Only two of the four original band members contributed to the newest CD and will appear at the concert.
Billy Corgan, the lead singer and songwriter, and Jimmy Chamberlin have returned, but James Iha and D'Arcy Wretzky did not. Because of this, fans are torn over whether the latest album can actually be considered a Smashing Pumpkins work.
"It's hard to say it isn't a Smashing Pumpkins album," said senior Rachel Jacobus. Corgan wrote all the lyrics and sang lead in the older albums, as he does in "Zeitgeist," so Jacobus thinks feels that the newest album is still a Smashing Pumpkins creation.
Jacobus has been a Smashing Pumpkins fan since before the band broke up in 2000.
"Zeitgeist," however, has been a disappointment to many Smashing Pumpkins fans who know the group's earlier albums. This album seems to lack the energy and novelty that marked previous releases.
"It's their worst album. It's just not as interesting," Jacobus said.
Both Jacobus and Brainard said the 1995 album, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," is their favorite album.
"I miss the old sound. This new album sounds more generic," Jacobus said.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm surrounding the latest Smashing Pumpkins CD, the band's fans are still excited to see the group in concert.
Brainard said she admires Corgan's lyrics, and likes the group's more mellow songs. Jacobus called Corgan's lyrics poetic.
Brainard said, smiling, "When I heard they were re-united, I was like, I'm going (to the concert) for sure."
