Smashing Pumpkins Announce Kiki Wong as New Touring Guitarist

While Billy Corgan has been the only consistent member of the Smashing Pumpkins since their inception, the band’s current lineup is only one member away from the lineup who put out their most classic albums from the ‘90s into the 2000s. Now a trio in terms of official members, the band has been playing as a six-piece for some time at live shows, with bassist Jack Bates, guitarist Jeff Schroeder, and multi-instrumentalist Katie Cole playing the role of “touring members,” even though Cole and Schroeder both appeared on the last two albums. Imagine what they’d have to do to start being called just “members.”

Well, Pitchfork reported last October that Schroeder was leaving the band “to explore a slightly different path.” Then, in January, Rolling Stone reported that the band was opening up auditions via email for a new guitarist to replace Schroeder. Well, the results are in, the ballots have been tallied, actually I think Billy Corgan just picked a person so there’s no ballots to tally. According to Metal Injection, it’s Kiki Wong, a social media sensation who’s played with Taylor Swift, Usher, and Bret Michaels. Here’s what Corgan had to say about his pick:

“Reviewing the work of these incredible musicians was a herculean, albeit worthy effort. First off, I really want to thank everyone who submitted materials for consideration. It wasn’t an easy decision with how much great guitar playing we were lucky enough to hear and see over the past few months.

“I was a fan of Kiki’s before she submitted her name to be considered and it’s great that someone of her acumen will be part of our touring family. I can’t wait to hit the road with Kiki as part of our mad circus. It’s definitely an exciting moment for Smashing Pumpkins to be this busy with touring in 2024. We’ll see you all this summer!”

So wait, that means that Billy Corgan plays guitar in the band, James Iha plays guitar, Kiki Wong plays guitar, and occasionally Katie Cole plays guitar? How many guitarists do they need in this band?

Also, someone invite D’arcy back, already.