Smashing Pumpkins to Perform Requiem to 'Zero' Live On YouTube Tonight

Smashing Pumpkins will perform a tribute to their fictional character Zero (1995-2026) tonight on their You Tube channel at 8 et/5 pt. As many Smashing Pumpkins fans know, "Zero" was one of the band's biggest hits, issued on April 23, 1996, but it was also a character from the 'MACHINA' album in 2000 where he was the protagonist of a story created by Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan.

Recently, the band issued Machina Alba Aranea, a limited edition vinyl that gave fans almost all of the albums 'MACHINA' and 'MACHINA 2' plus a bunch of tracks that fit into the album's storyline of a rock star named Zero who changes his name to Glass and creates the band named The Machines of God. The box set album better told the story than the original single version though a lot of songs were sequenced differently. At one point in the story, there is a farewell concert which is something the Smashing Pumpkins replicated in real life when they performed their 'final' show in 2000.

Now, in 2026, we're seeing Corgan put away the storybook once and for all - apparently that's what is being hinted at. The concert takes place in Los Angeles tonight and invite-only tickets were already given out.

A Farewell to Zero | A Private Requiem with The Smashing Pumpkins