The Orange Peel residency

The Orange Peel residency was a series of 9 shows at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC, US, from June 23 to July 5, 2007. It was the first public performance on American soil since the 2000 disbandment, and part of the larger Zeitgeist tour that extended through the end of the year. The shows played Zeitgeist songs and a handful of classics, along with numerous new songs. "?" was written and performed during the residency. Corgan later recounted:

It’s our sincere wish to take this moment to thank the community of Asheville for such a warm and heartfelt reception to the Smashing Pumpkins, and by extension, our 9 shows here at the Orange Peel. As I write this to you, we have done 4 memorable concerts so far, each one unique in its own way, and we are so very grateful to the many fans who have flown in from all over the world to be here with us at this important time.

What we could not have anticipated however was the incredible outpouring of support and love we would receive from the city of Asheville itself. Everywhere we go, we have been greeted with encouragement, signs, gratitude, and some good old fashioned Southern hospitality that has made this stay truly happy. We came here with the hope that we could take some chances musically, write some new songs, and play our hearts out, and so far that has worked out pretty good.

Just in the first week alone we are already playing 12 different songs, new and old, that we weren’t playing just a few weeks ago. So we cannot thank you all enough. From the bottom of our black hearts, thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll leave you then with a few lines that I wrote in honor of Asheville … from the song "?"