The Smashing Pumpkins 1994-04-27

The Smashing Pumpkins' April 27, 1994 performance was an unannounced surprise show for the venue's reopening, closed since 1989 after sustaining damage during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

The speaker column fell over and smashed about three of James’s guitars. And we were told, we were given this great distinction, you will be the band that would re-open the historic venue that hosted Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead and you’re like, “Great.” So we were very excited and very honored because a lot of those bands were our heroes. And then we got there and we realized that we hadn’t been invited to the real opening, which was the night before, which was a private event, so all the celebrities and all the press went to that. And so we were like, “Oh okay,” and then we were playing with the legend on the bill who hated us because we were too loud.