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April 4, 2003 - Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA, US Concert review by Todd Billy Corgan returns with Zwan By Todd Gerch, WG\'04 for The Wharton Journal After disbanding the Smashing Pumpkins in December 2000, fans and critics alike wondered what was next for Billy Corgan, the prolific genius behind one of the most critically acclaimed and popular alternative bands of the 1990s. The question was answered at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 5, as Corgan returned with his new band, Zwan, to play before a sold-out house. With a fury of blazing guitars and thunderous drums, coupled with more cheerful crowd interaction than was typical of the Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan rocked the crowd by playing nearly every track from their debut album. Unlike many bands that enter the stage in total darkness, the lights merely dimmed before Corgan and Zwan walked onto the stage and promptly launched into \"Lyric,\" the opening track from their debut album, Mary Star of the Sea. While Zwan usually plays \"Lyric\" as an encore during their closing set, on this night opening with their newly-released single seemed to electrify a crowd that had been anxiously waiting for the appearance of the Great Pumpkin himself on stage. After this stellar opening, Zwan performed \"Declarations of Faith,\" one of many songs on Zwan\'s debut album in which Corgan displays a more positive outlook on life than he did on the dark and often vitriolic Pumpkins albums. This was followed by \"El Sol\" and a genteel cover of the Beatles\' \"Don\'t Let Me Down.\" Zwan then ripped through four straight songs from Mary Star of the Sea, including their first single, \"Honestly,\" before playing crowd favorite \"Jesus, I\" and \"God\'s Gonna Set This World on Fire,\" both of which are Zwan\'s electric versions of old spirituals. Zwan then closed with four straight original songs including the beautiful \"Heartsong\" and a ten-minute-plus furious rendition of their album\'s title track, Mary Star of the Sea, which featured mini-solos from all three of the band\'s guitarists as well as superb drumming from Jimmy Chamberlin and solid background vocals from bassist Paz Lenchantin. After a five-minute break the band returned with a one-song encore, \"Endless Summer,\" one of the standout tracks from the album. Not a band to leave the crowd wanting, Zwan returned one more time for a second encore and played the mellow \"Of a Broken Heart\" before following it up with another head-banger, \"Spilled Milk,\" which gave Corgan a chance to showcase his shrill, nasally whine at a high volume. The band then promptly exited stage right while Corgan shook hands with members of the crowd, clearly enjoying himself and displaying none of the aloof qualities that defined him in the Smashing Pumpkins. Far from being a one-man show, Zwan boasts an impressive complement to Corgan\'s singing and guitar, with most band members being cherry-picked from indie-rock powerhouses. Joining Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins is drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, one of the premier drummers in rock music. At the Electric Factory, his timing was impeccable and his mastery of the bass drum back beat was on full display. The other addition to Zwan\'s rhythm section is bassist Paz Lenchantin (formerly of A Perfect Circle), whose contributions to the band include background vocal harmonies as well as occasional turns on the violin. Corgan is also joined by two guitarists: David Pajo (formerly of Slint) and Matt Sweeney (formerly of Chavez). With such a collection of talent, Zwan retains the vibe of a real band, as opposed to the Pumpkins, who often seemed to be Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin and two stiffs. Perhaps most importantly, due to this collection of talent, Zwan is able to maintain the integrity of its studio sound in a live venue without sounding identical to its studio recordings, something the Pumpkins had notorious difficulty achieving. Although it was clear that most of the crowd were Zwan fans, or at least Billy Corgan fans, it was also clear that all of them were Smashing Pumpkins fans. People cried out for songs such as \"Today\" or \"1979\" or other songs from the Pumpkins\' library, but to no avail. While Corgan may not completely dominate Zwan as he did the Pumpkins, he clearly is its heart and soul. He allows the other talented musicians to showcase their musical abilities, but the overall vision is unmistakably his own. The guitars may have less distortion, the drums and bass may not be quite as heavy, and the lyrics may contain a new positive outlook on life, but there is no mistaking the undeniable songwriting and performing talent that Corgan brings to the stage. Ditching the black clothing that was omnipresent during his later Pumpkins career, but retaining the shaved head, Corgan was clad in a multicolored sweater and looked like he was enjoying every minute of the show. He inquired from the crowd where everyone was going to be heading out in Philadelphia after the show and insisted that the entire band was going to there. While watching him take bows and shake hands after a stellar performance, it would have been a mistake to doubt his sincerity.
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