Gish-aversary



Gish-aversary was a weekend-long event that took place at Madame ZuZu's on May 29–30, 2021 commemorating 30 years since the release of The Smashing Pumpkins' debut album, Gish. The main event took place after-hours on May 29, involving a listening party of the album and a Q&A with Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin. The event was live streamed online with a 50-people in-store capacity. Portions of tickets sales benefited PAWS Chicago.

Weekend event
Corgan's partner, Chloe Mendel, took the lead role of organizing the event. The store was decorated into a Gish theme. It included purple balloons, a new permanent photo booth with a Gish-themed border, autographed Gish-era vinyl and other rare collectibles on sale, and new exclusive Gish-era apparel. The memorabilia on sale included posters, t-shirts, tote bags, and sticker packs – including some with never before seen imagery from the Gish era (one was a selfie of Corgan, the other Chamberlin on the old tour bus). All of these items sold out very quickly.

All patrons who entered Madame ZuZu's during the two-day event received a postcard of the Gish-aversary poster, and a sticker of similar imagery reading "I was there!".

For food beyond the usual menu, there was a Gish-themed cake from Pie, Pie My Darling!, as well as a Gish-themed tea. Local craft brewery Hop Butcher sold 4-packs of limited edition Smashing Pumpkins "Soul Head" IPAs (6.5% ABV). The artwork depicted the "Soul Head" amp that Corgan used during the Gish recording sessions.

SPFreaks put on a popular display of rare memorabilia, effectively turning the event into a mini-museum. Items included vintage show flyers, posters, photos, records, cassettes, and several contracts from 1988 shows.

Listening party and Q&A
This portion of the event was limited to ticket holders and remote live streamers who purchased a ticket. Select proceeds went to benefit PAWS Chicago. Howard Willing was in town providing technical oversight to Corgan. All physical ticket holders were automatically entered into a drawing. The prizes included prints of the newly resurfaced Gish-era photos. The event featured a full dinner menu from the restaurant, with a drink special of a "Gish Sangria". At one point during the listening party, Corgan sang along to "Snail". After the initial listen, they played unreleased material that will be part of the first archival release: Live at Kawasaki 2.24.92, then announced as Live in Japan: 1992.

Topics during the Q&A included stories about opening up for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam, meeting Butch Vig, and detailing Corgan and Chamberlin's favorite parts of Gish.