GALLERY & REVIEW | The Smashing Pumpkins by Nicole Sassi - Berlin, 2025

Last Wednesday (August 6, 2025), The Smashing Pumpkins lit up the ancient walls of Zitadelle Spandau in Berlin, turning the courtyard into a time machine. From the very first note, it felt like stepping back into another era.

They opened with Glass’ Theme, then kicked straight into the grit of Heavy Metal Machine. The mood was set: loud, raw, and full of that restless energy the band has always carried. Then came Where Boys Fear to Tread, heavy and hypnotic, followed by the newer Pentagrams. But it was Today and Bullet with Butterfly Wings that cracked everything open, where the whole crowd was singing every word, shoulder to shoulder, and the air felt electric.

Then Disarm came, and for a few minutes the noise softened, and we were all suddenly and nostalgically back in the 90s.

Billy’s voice and his presence on stage are exactly as you remember it: magnetic, and a little surreal. It didn’t feel like 2025 anymore. It felt like coming home to something you didn’t realize you’d been missing.

GALLERY: The Smashing Pumpkins in Berlin, 2025

All photos: © Nicole Sassi