Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan has expressed his admiration and respect for his old friends Green Day, and stated his belief that Billie Joe Armstrong's band have eclipsed the Ramones in terms of their impact.
Corgan's band toured with Green Day in the summer of 2024, and he was full of praise for how he and his bandmates, plus the other supporting acts on the tour, were treated.
"It was awesome," Corgan tells Rolling Stone. "The crowds were great. Green Day was so gracious. We couldn’t have had a better summer. It was one of my favorite tours of all time. I obviously knew the Green Day guys since we did Lollapalooza together back in ’94. They used to laugh at me when I would play basketball against the monks, and snicker like the punks they are.
"But they’ve obviously gone on to such tremendous success, and they were so gracious in being hosts, not only to us, but to Rancid and the Linda Lindas. The vibe on the tour was incredible. It was just the spirit of what it’s supposed to be when you put bands together. It was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had, and we’re forever grateful to them. They were such great ambassadors."
Corgan goes on to tell writer Andy Greene that he believes that the Californian punks have become arguably the genre's most important band ever.
'Speaking of Green Day," he says, "in a living and beautiful light, I had this feeling the other day, and maybe I’m very late to this party…I think it had something to do with the fact that they just got their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I’m watching them get their star and they certainly deserve it. I had this moment where I was reminiscing and I was like, Wow, I’ve known these guys for over 30 years, and we just did this tour. Oh my God, they’re bigger than the Ramones.
"What I mean by that is that in the world I grew up in, the Ramones were number one. In a way, they always will be number one because they were first. But then I realized, Oh my God, Green Day has actually done it. They are bigger than the Ramones. Their influence is greater, their reach is greater, and certainly their success is greater.
"And that’s all power to them. I’m late to that party at 58 years old, and I’ve known them and watched them and listened to them and been a competitor, right? But even I have to go, Wow, they’ve done it."
This summer Corgan will be paying tribute to the his own band's legacy with his new solo project, Billy Corgan And The Machines Of God, featuring Smashing Pumpkins touring guitarist Kiki Wong, bassist Kid Tigrrr (Jenna Fournier) and drummer Jake Hayden.
The gigs will see the band play selections from the Pumpkins' epic and hugely successful Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness double album (which emerged on October 23, 1995 in the UK, and one day later in the US), and two other albums in the Chicago band's catalogue - Machina/The Machines Of God, and it's follow-up Machina II/The Friends & Enemies Of Modern Music - both of which turn 25 this year.
They will play:
Jun 07: Baltimore Baltimore Soundstage, MD
Jun 09: Boston Paradise Rock Club, MA
Jun 11: Muskoka Kee to Bala, Canada
Jun 12: Toronto HISTORY, Canada
Jun 13: Montreal Beanfield Theatre, Canada
Jun 15: New York Irving Plaza, NY
Jun 16: Philadelphia Theatre of Living Arts, PA
Jun 17: Allentown Archer Music Hall, PA
Jun 19: Detroit St. Andrew’s Hall, MI
Jun 20: Joliet Taste of Joliet, IL
Jun 21: Grand Rapids Intersection, MI
Jun 23: Pittsburgh Roxian Theatre, PA
Jun 25: Cleveland House of Blues Cleveland, OH
Jun 26: Cincinnati Bogart’s, OH
Jun 27: Milwaukee Summerfest, WI
Jun 29: Minneapolis Varsity Theater, MN
Green Day, meanwhile, will be headlining a number of European festivals this summer, including Download.
