NEON SUNDAY
Pumpkins pack smashing punch
The guitars are as thick as the nostalgia on the Smashing Pumpkins' latest disc, "Zeitgeist," the group's first in seven years. The riffs on this album are heavier than a cement truck and the '90s loom large in the rearview mirror. Though only drummer Jimmy Chamberlain and frontman Billy Corgan remain from the band's original lineup, the Pumpkins pack more punch than ever -- almost too much in fact, like they've done MTV's "120 Minutes" to the "Headbanger's Ball" -- as this bunch has gone from ravaging gourds to eardrums. See them at 8 p.m. Thursday at The Pearl at The Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road. Tickets are $63.50; call 942-7777 for details.
-- JASON BRACELIN
