ZUMApress.comThis year is turning out to be the greatest for the Smashing Pumpkins.
The Chicago-based alt-rock legends have announced that, beginning next month, they plan to play a series of concerts over the next six months to mark their 20th anniversary.
"The August tour is going to be a blast," band mastermind Billy Corgan said on the band's site. "Expect a very loud and raucous show from us."
The Pumpkins, which formed in 1988, will targert smaller shows during the initial two-week run kicking off Aug. 9 in Hammond, Ill. Corgan says the band is focusing on "unique sets and songs."
Tickets for that show go on sale tomorrow.
Then in November, the Pumpkins will embark on a string of dates hitting larger venues in such cities as New York, Chicago and L.A.
Those shows will celebrate the quartet's "history, legacy, and accomplishments over their career" (despite the fact that two of the original four members, guitarist James Iha and bassist D'Arcy Wretsky, are no longer in the band).
"The 20th anniversary shows will be magical," added Corgan, in typical humble fashion. "We are already working on a lot of surprises."
The road show will continue into 2009, with the band tooling sets to pay homage to their debut album, Gish.
Speaking of Gish, the Smashing Pumpkins are working on a Gish box set that will span the band's early years, and Corgan is asking fans to send in any photos they may have of the group in its infancy which they'll then license and include in the reissue. No word when the box set will hit stores.