On November 11th, 1995 — less than a month after the release of their breakthrough double album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness — Smashing Pumpkins were the musical guests on Saturday Night Live. Pulp Fiction auteur Quentin Tarantino was the host, and as is tradition, he introduced the alt-rock group's performance, which included a particularly gripping rendition of Mellon Collie's venomous lead single, "Bullet With Butterfly Wings."
Billy Corgan and Co. might not have been flanked by the dirty miners and scorched earth that helped make the song's apocalyptic music video one of the most indelible MTV staples of the era, but their performance was still thrilling in its own right. Corgan rocked his iconic "zero" tee, snarling and screeching "Bullet"'s nihilistic lyrics, and bassist D'arcy was icy cool as was her way; meanwhile guitarist James Iha threatened to steal the show in a flashy all-red-leather ensemble. Throwback to the classic Nineties moment above.
