Watch Billy Corgan casually snack on some tortilla chips during a drum solo at Smashing Pumpkins show

Billy Corgan with a background of tortilla chips — (Image credit: Paul Elledge)

People are prone to snacking late at night. It's just human nature, and we're happy to learn that Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan is no exception – even when he's onstage at the 17,341-capacity Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As this fan-shot footage reveals, Corgan took the opportunity to fuel up while Jimmy Chamberlin performed a drum solo at the show on October 30. The frontman is caught standing by his amp and idly picking at what appears to be a cup of tortilla chips, before wiping his hands clean on a towel and carrying on with the set.

The comments beneath the video were priceless.

"Despite all my rage I am still gonna eat all the Lays," wrote Dave Pelletier.

"These Lays are the greatest snack I’ve ever known," added Jody Lopez.

"A Smashing Pumpkin smashing Pringles," Slowpoke Rodriguez chipped in.

But it was Quadrod who offered what appears to be a reasonable explanation for the frontman's mid-set nibble.

"Eating greasy chips is actually an old recording studio trick for singers," he reveals. "It can help lubricate the vocal cords."

So next time you're caught tipping the shards of an unfinished bag of crisps into your face, simply refer to the "old recording studio trick" and leave the kitchen free of shame.

While Corgan's mid-show snack is not in the realms of Rick Wakeman eating a curry during a Yes gig at Manchester Free Trade Hall, you still can watch an alt-rock icon chowing down on his rider if you so wish.

The band's current Spirits on Fire tour with special guests Jane's Addiction will run until November 19.

They play:

Nov 07: Denver Ball Arena, CO
Nov 09: Spokane Arena, WA
Nov 11: Vancouver Rogers Arena, BC
Nov 12: Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, WA
Nov 13: Portland Moda Center, OR
Nov 15: San Francisco Chase Center, CA
Nov 16: Anaheim Honda Center, CA
Nov 18: Phoenix Footprint Center, AZ
Nov 19: Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, CA

The first instalment of the Smashing Pumpkins' three-part album Atum will be released on November 15, 2022.

Act 2 will be released on January 31, 2023 and Act 3, along with a special edition boxset featuring all 33 album tracks plus 10 additional unreleased songs, will be released on April 21, 2023.

Born in 1976 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Simon Young has been a music journalist for over twenty-six years. His fanzine, Hit A Guy With Glasses, enjoyed a one-issue run before he secured a job at Kerrang! in 1999. His writing has also appeared in Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, and Planet Rock. His first book, So Much For The 30 Year Plan: Therapy? — The Authorised Biography is available via Jawbone Press.