Heads up, shoe-gaze fans. Two Gen X favorites are headed to Houston to kick it like it’s 1996.
Alt-rock superpower Smashing Pumpkins will bring all its rage to Toyota Center on October 3 as part of a 32-date Spirits on Fire Tour. Adding to the can’t-miss appeal: art rockers Jane’s Addiction will join Smashing Pumpkins on the bill for select dates, including a Texas run. Genre-bending singer/satirist Poppy will open for a majority of the trek.
The Spirits on Fire Tour kicks off at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, on October 2, before heading to Toyota Center the following day on October 3. The tour then heads to the Moody Center in Austin on October 5.
Expect tickets to go fast for the major tour — the first since 2019 for the Pumpkins and since 2016 for Jane’s Addiction. Pre-sale begins at 10 am Thursday, May 12 , while general sales begin at 10 am Friday, May 13. All ticket information and more details can be found at the official tour site.
After the big Texas trio dates, the tour will wind across the country, visit Canadian cities Toronto and Montreal, and conclude at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles (a fitting venue for the L.A.-based Jane’s Addiction.)
On Wednesday, May 11, Smashing Pumpkins will hit L.A.’s TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood to commemorate the tour announcement. Members will even add their handprints to the cement in a time-honored tradition.
Leading a stream of Chicago alt-rock talent, Smashing Pumpkins debuted in 1988, combining rock, shoe-gaze, pop, metal, goth, psychedelia, and electronic. Fans fell in love with the effortless hooks, sweeping orchestration, and lead singer Billy Corgan’s vocals that would jump from mumble to shriek without warning.
The Pumpkins boast 30 million albums sold worldwide, two Grammy Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and an American Music Award. Memorable releases include the platinum Gish (1991), the quadruple-platinum Siamese Dream (1993), diamond-certified Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995), platinum Adore (1998), and gold Machina/The Machines of God (2000). Pumpkins singles such as “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” (and its unforgettable “despite all my rage” chorus) and “Tonight, Tonight” have become TV commercial, sports broadcast, and pop culture fixtures.
The band promises to release even more tunes this year in conjunction with the tour.
Formed in 1985 in L.A., Jane’s Addiction is the brainchild of flamboyant lead singer Perry Farrell and founding bassist Eric Avery. The band also bent and fused genres, mixing in new wave, metal, funk, and dreamy art rock into unforgettable singles such as “Stop,” “Been Caught Stealing,” and “Hard Charger.” The 1990 album Ritual de lo Habitual has become an alt-rock how-to for countless bands since.
Considered one of the most influential acts of the 1990s, Jane’s Addiction saw myriad lineup changes; guitarist Dave Navarro even joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers for a red-hot minute.
Always wildly innovative, Farrell is the mastermind of the music and art fest, Lollapalooza, now a pop culture icon itself.
