The Smashing Pumpkins gave Charlotte a release-day surprise on Friday (10/16), performing “Black Stars” live for the first time.
The new song made it into their setlist during the second half of their set which kicked off with 16 tracks from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and then 14 tunes from their glorious catalog.
Singer and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin tour with guitarist Kiki Wong and bassist Jack Bates.
They also all appear in the “Black Stars” video that was released that morning in conjunction for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (The Album).
The record comes out on 11/13 through MCA, a week before the film opens on 11/20. Noah Kahan's "Draw You Out" also appears on the record.
Corgan was invited to contribute a tune to the franchise's soundtrack. He enlisted producer Butch Vig, who had been behind the board for Gish (1991) and Siamese Dream (1993), and a little reunion took place.
The song which was recorded at Chaplin Studios (the former A&M Studios) has one of the toughest lyrics to karaoke to, so beware:
Chartreuse eyes spill whitewashed tears
Born of love
Lackluster psalms make serpentine years
Born of love
Surrender serpent doubt
Why so intricate? Last month Corgan told People that now is the time to return to the unconventional quirks of rock music because pop is fizzling.
“When pop became so dominant, I guess in the 21st century, it just seemed like pop was never going to end, and thankfully it’s kind of ending a bit, so we get to have another turn at the wheel, the rock and roll crew,” he told the magazine.
“What was interesting about pop — and I think it was a response to digital culture — was shorter intros, get right to the vocal, get to the chorus faster," he continued.
That sort of music didn't really vibe with the prolific GenX guitar hero and “felt reductionist,” but over time he saw pop as being an extension of Big Band jazz.
“So what I did is I tried to apply some of those principles into my songwriting," he said of modern pop and its origins.
"We have a new song coming out called ‘Black Stars,’ and literally that ideology is in that song. I wouldn’t have written that song that way 30 years ago, so definitely, this generation has influenced me.”
Of note: the second set kicked off with "Machina, Machina" which allowed Wong to have some alone-time with the spotlight as she played the complicated melodic guitar solo of the cinematic instrumental.
It's nice to see Wong, who got the job after beating out thousands of would-be Pumpkins, slowly becoming part of the permanent lineup - now on video and alone on stage.
The Pumpkins have a few more dates in the south before heading west. Weirdly there's no dates on Halloween.
Could Billy jet over to LA to make a guest appearance with his "sons" MCR at their Halloween show at the Hollywood Bowl?
Rats In A Cage Tour 2026
10/22 — Nashville, TN — The Truth
10/24 — Oklahoma City, OK — Paycom Center
10/25 — Austin, TX — Moody Center
10/27 — Denver, CO — Ball Arena
10/29 — Salt Lake City, UT — Delta Center
10/30 — Las Vegas, NV — MGM Grand Garden Arena
11/1 — Portland, OR — Moda Center
11/3 — Calgary, AB — Scotiabank Saddledome
11/5 — Vancouver, BC — Rogers Arena
11/6 — Seattle, WA — Climate Pledge Arena
11/8 — San Jose, CA — SAP Center
11/11 — Phoenix, AZ — Mortgage Matchup Center
11/12 — Inglewood, CA — Kia Forum
11/14 — Huntington Beach, CA — Darker Waves Festival
