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UNBELIEVABLE: 4 | History Defined

Everything you need to know about Back To The Beginning, Black Sabbath’s reunion and Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert

From who’s playing to how to stream it, we answer all your questions about this summer’s Back To The Beginning extravaganza

Metal Hammer

“When you’re a kid, you go, ‘I could never be as good as a real rockstar,’ and here’s a guy that’s amazing, and he’s missing parts of his fingers”: Adam Jones on Tony Iommi’s influence and what took Tool so long to join Black Sabbath’s last hurrah

Tool guitarist Adam Jones explains how Tony Iommi's triumph over adversity was every bit as influential as his horror-influenced riffs – and what to expect from his Back to the Beginning collabs with Tom Morello and Billy Corgan

Guitar World

“I called everybody! I looked at my heavy-metal Rolodex and just called up friends who Ozzy, Sharon and I had talked about having there”: Tom Morello on honoring Black Sabbath with the biggest metal show ever, and the all-star jam he is most psyched about

Back to the Beginning will present Black Sabbath live for one last time, joined by metal's biggest stars, and RATM guitarist Tom Morello booked the bands. He tells us how it came together

Guitar World

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“I apologize for the broken beer bottle that was thrown at him”: Melissa Auf der Maur surprises fans as she reunites with Billy Corgan to perform a Smashing Pumpkins classic

The bassist linked up with the alt-rock titans for the final song of the night in Montreal

Guitar World

“I went, ‘I’m sorry we all couldn’t do it.’ Tom Morello goes, ‘Well, Dan and Maynard are playing with these people.’ I went, ‘I didn’t know that…’” Adam Jones on why Tool weren’t originally going to take part in Ozzy Osbourne’s last-ever show

In case Tool fans were wondering why the band wasn’t part of the original lineup...

Guitar World

“He’s now going around making up lies because I threw his band off the bill”: A band just got booted off the line-up for Ozzy Osbourne’s Black Sabbath Back To The Beginning megagig… But who?

A new interview with Sharon Osbourne reveals that she had to give one act the boot. And fans have been quick to speculate as to who’s out of favour

MusicRadar

Why the Adore tour was the messiest, most all-over-the-shop moment in Smashing Pumpkins’ history (and it’s not just because some bloke wee’d on my foot at one of the gigs)

Billy Corgan & co. totally lost the plot in the bid to try and replace Jimmy Chamberlin in 1998. Two words: "percussion solo".

Louder

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“If you’ve seen any of this stuff, please let us and the authorities know”: A shipment of Reverend guitars has been stolen in transit – and the firm is appealing for help

CEO Ken Haas is hoping fans can help track down the shipment, which also included a bulk pack of Railhammer pickups

Guitar World

“Gilby had left the band. Axl called me up and said, ‘Do you want to get together and jam?’” Zakk Wylde on the time he almost joined Slash and co in Guns N’ Roses

The GNR lineup – and their music – could have turned out very different had the experiment paid off

Guitar World

Yungblud bonds with The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins over tackling high ticket prices

Yungblud is striving to keep ticket prices low for his concerts - including Bludfest - and he's got some handy allies in the form of Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, and The Cure's Robert Smith.

BANG Premier

"They are bigger than the Ramones. Their influence is greater, their reach is greater, and certainly their success is greater." Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan on the punk band he believes has eclipsed the Ramones

Billy Corgan shares his respect and admiration for some old friends

Louder

“Distortion, distortion, gain and more gain were my digs before I joined the Smashing Pumpkins. But they’ve introduced me to a whole new world of pedals”: Kiki Wong on her life-changing audition, and what she's learned from Billy Corgan and James Iha

Wong enjoyed a high-profile on social media and maybe that would have been enough. But when Billy Corgan called an open audition, she beat 9,999 others to live out her grunge dreams as guitar player for the Smashing Pumpkins

Guitar World

“Trent Reznor started out as a roadie for us, next thing I know he’s on the cover of Rolling Stone.” Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan interviewed Ministry legend Al Jourgensen and the results are as brilliant as you’d expect

From trading Ministry songs for drugs and production lessons to inspiring Nine Inch Nails and accidentally spiking Tool with LSD, no stone is left unturned

Metal Hammer

“Smashing Pumpkins taught me that music doesn’t have to fit neatly into a box… it’s not as easy as pie. It’s pie with a side of metal!” Billy Corgan asked Jenna Fournier to go back to bass, and she says the timing is perfect

The guitarist-vocalist’s band Niights, solo project Kid Tigrrr, and visual arts projects are one thing, but hitting the stage as part of Corgan’s Machines of God band as a four-stringer is another

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“I had big shoes to fill, but I knew I had a lot to offer on my own. I think Billy Corgan saw that in me”: From Veruca Salt to the Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage, Nicole Fiorentino has become alt-rock's go-to bassist

Traditionally a tube amp user, the Reverend Decision fan is hitting the Helix-powered stage with Shirley Manson and co., with in-ear monitors and no pedals – and delivering her own bass take on the band's classics

Guitar World

“I still use the Strat and Big Muff sound here and there for overdubs, but when I watched Eddie Van Halen play 3 feet in front of me, I learned that it’s about the hands”: Billy Corgan on critics, tone secrets, and how he keeps Smashing Pumpkins fresh

Aghori Mhori Mei sees Corgan and co. finding a fresh perspective in revisiting gear and writing approaches from the past, and – “for a change!” says Corgan – fans and media alike are loving it

Guitar World

“It’s really quite genius, but also hard to learn – it sounds insane, but sometimes the easiest songs still get me nervous”: Kiki Wong reveals the Smashing Pumpkins song she had the most trouble with

After beating 10,000 other candidates to the gig, the guitarist set about navigating Billy Corgan’s “distinct playing style,” with one song proving more challenging than the rest

Guitar World

“I could be blazing on Instagram, and there'll still be comments like, ‘You'll never be Richie’”: The recent Bon Jovi documentary helped guitarist Phil X win over even more of the band's fans – but he still deals with some naysayers

The guitarist has been in the band for over a decade, but it seems certain fans still haven’t accepted that Sambora is out of the picture

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BANG Premier

Billy Corgan unfazed by Smashing Pumpkins’ public misconceptions

Smashing Pumpkins rocker Billy Corgan has "no desire" to fight for the band's image even though their public perception is different to how they see themselves.

MusicRadar

“We’re still avoiding him to this day... we would just despise him after a while”: Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne is not a Billy Corgan fan

Beef dates back to Smashing Pumpkins man being "just horrible" during Lollapalooza in '94

Metal Hammer

"It seemed to sum up the existential crisis I was having." Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan on the Metallica song that saved his life

"It's like a movie unto itself. What a song!" Billy Corgan on the Metallica classic that meant everything to him as a teenager

MusicRadar

“Ithought it would be funny to sing my own song, but the longer itwent, the less people thought it was funny”: How Billy Corgan killed the vibe on a karaoke night

He also reveals which Metallica song gave him hope as a teenager

BANG Premier

Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan reveals which of his one of his songs he wants played at his funeral

Billy Corgan - who is best known as a founding member of The Smashing Pumpkins - wants his own music played at his funeral.

The Guardian - UK

‘Goths don’t have sex – we just stare into the black sun’: Billy Corgan’s honest playlist

The Smashing Pumpkins songwriter and guitarist on overdoing karaoke, joining Pink Floyd on stage and his secret love of Katy Perry’s Roar

Fortune

Billy Corgan on launching his new podcast, the future of music and the 'shocking shift' brewing with AI

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has parlayed his music success into various businesses, from wrestling to a tea shop. This year, he launched his podcast "The Magnificent Others" with Bill Maher's Club Random Studios.

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