The Smashing Pumpkins
Every band has a different dynamic. Some bands are a true collaboration where all members are equal partners, while others are made up of one driving member and the rest of the band just along for the ride.
Everyone knows that at the simplest level, Billy Corgan is The Smashing Pumpkins. He wrote the music and in many cases performed most of the instrumentation on the albums. He did the creative heavy lifting and the band was his image.
Then the band broke up, and Corgan went on to do other things. He toured with New Order. He formed a new band named Zwan. He recorded a solo album. The common thread between all three of these endeavors was that none of them captured the listening public's ears the way the Pumpkins did.
Corgan claims he got The Smashing Pumpkins back together because he missed his band and his songs. But if he was the band, then what was there to miss other than the fame that came with the name? The new band is less reunion and more open showing of his creative dictatorship.
Recently he said that the music industry is filled with posers more interested in fame than art. He should put his money where his mouth is and put his name on the marquee.
Tool
Tool is an interesting case because it might be the best example of how a band breakup might be the best thing for both the band members and their fanbase.
Tool released their last album in 2006, then hit the road for a major tour. All was well.
Every year since, excluding 2008, a familiar pattern has developed. The band announces a handful of tour dates. Fans buy up tickets immediately. The band plays the same set list from the year before with minor changes. The fans run to the Internet to complain about how the band is screwing them again.
People get older and they change. Maybe the music doesn't light the fire in the band the way that it used to. Maybe the fans should appreciate what they get more than they do. Either way, a farewell tour at this point might be the best thing for all parties involved.
The band would have the freedom to pursue their own interests without the looming shadow of their day jobs, and the fans could finally stop chasing the carrot of new music that might never come. Either way, the Internet will be a slightly quieter place.
