THE SMASHING PUMPKINS Celebrate LOLLAPALOOZA Homecoming With 'Pumpkinpalooza'

This Friday, July 31, the iconic, Grammy Award-winning rock band THE SMASHING PUMPKINS will headline their hometown's famed Lollapalooza. The momentous event marks the band's long-awaited return to the festival for the first time since they appeared on its original touring iteration in 1994. To celebrate the occasion, the band has announced a series of special events throughout the week. Dubbed "Pumpkinpalooza", the festivities are set to take over Chicago with an intimate underplay performance previewing their Lollapalooza set, an exclusive merchandise pop-up store, and more.

It all begins on July 29, when the PUMPKINS will take the stage for a sold-out performance at the historic Riviera Theatre in Chicago's Uptown. The 2,500-capacity venue will offer fans a rare opportunity to experience the band's expansive catalog in an intimate theater setting. Running from the 29 through the 31, the PUMPKINS will also host a merchandise pop-up at 900 S. Wabash Ave. Just a few blocks from Lollapalooza's home in Grant Park, the pop-up will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Throughout the festival, fans can visit Madame Zuzu's Celestial Lounge, an expansion of Billy Corgan and Chloé Mendel Corgan's beloved Highland Park teahouse. The destination will offer matcha, vinyl, exclusive merchandise, and more. Beyond the festival grounds, acclaimed Chicago cocktail lounge The Aviary will debut the limited-edition speciality cocktail Infinite Mellons, created in celebration of the PUMPKINS' Lollapalooza homecoming.

"As a Chicagoan, born and raised, I take great pride in contributing to our city's immense and colorful cultural fabric," Billy Corgan says. "And so this year's already historic Lollapalooza is that chance to make new memories, new friends, and have a bit of Midwest fun, too as only we might."

"Pumpkinpalooza" and the band's forthcoming tour continue a landmark period for THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, following a series of milestones, including last year's 30th anniversary celebration of the diamond-certified "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness". The anniversary celebration was marked by a deluxe vinyl reissue featuring previously unheard live recordings from the album's supporting world tour, a reimagining of "Mellon Collie"'s iconic hits and beloved fan favorites performed onstage with the Lyric Opera Of Chicago, and culinary collaborations with Vosges Haut-Chocolat and Erewhon.

The ever-prolific Billy Corgan has also remained active with his widely praised podcast "The Magnificent Others", which recently entered its second year and has featured candid conversations about creativity and legacy with Courtney Love, Billy Idol, Yungblud and more. The podcast continues to expand its reach through a new partnership with PodcastOne, which recently acquired its exclusive sales and distribution rights.

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS' Lolla takeover precedes their sprawling "The Rats In A Cage" tour, one of their most ambitious live shows yet. The full tour kicks off in September and runs through November, featuring two distinct sets: one celebrating "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" and one a career-spanning journey through nearly four decades worth of beloved hits, deep cuts and fan favorites alike.

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS are one of the most iconic, iconoclastic, and influential bands of all time, shaping alternative music and culture. Since forming in Chicago in 1988, the group has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and garnered two Grammy Awards, seven MTV VMAs, and an American Music Award. Their catalog includes seminal offerings such as the platinum "Gish" (1991),the quadruple-platinum "Siamese Dream" (1993),the diamond-certified "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" (1995),the platinum "Adore" (1998) and the gold "Machina/The Machines Of God" (2000). Rolling Stone cited both "Siamese Dream" and "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" among its "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time". It would also be impossible to envision alternative music and culture without their signature iconography such as the idyllic album artwork for "Siamese Dream", the black Zero shirt, the laissez faire bliss of the "1979" music video, the gothic metamorphosis of "Ava Adore" or the multi-dimensional live shows that sell out worldwide to this day. 2018 saw THE SMASHING PUMPKINS unveil "Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun." and launched the immensely successful "Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour", which packed arenas. Maintaining this momentum, the band released their eleventh full-length double album, "Cyr" (2020),representing yet another evolution, and more recently, "Atum" (2023),the sequel to 1995's "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" and 2000's "Machina/Machine Of God". The band's 2024 album, "Aghori Mhori Mei", written in the immediate aftermath of "Atum", sees a return to form for original members Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin and James Iha, and harkens back to the band's early '90s canon, where guitars, bass, drums, and spiking vocals ruled.