So I was looking into seeing how other people managed to somehow come close to getting the ever-elusive ‘Pumpkins-tone‘, and I found this, which has to be one of the more musically-inspiring things I’ve read in a while…
Yeah, on a side note: I saw them live at Madison Square Garden in the late 90s. I had tickets to the show that was cancelled because their keyboard player overdosed and they kicked jimmy out of the band. So a few months later they played a makeup show. It was like an out of body experience. I though Id be disappointed because Jimmy Chamberlin is one of my favorite drummers, but the drummer from Tool filled in and rocked it.
Their intro literally brought tears to my eyes. The Garden was pitch black, and this piano loop started to fade in, real gradual for about 5-10 minutes. I forget what song they opened with, but they snuck on stage while it was still pitch black, and then they hit the opening chord and simultaneously these blinding white lights came on from behind the band and I swear it was like seeing God.
On a side-note of my own, the ending piano to ‘Farewell and Goodnight‘ will always ‘get me’. I tried to pay homage to it in my own way, but I don’t think it’s nearly as good.
