Why Was Billy Corgan Eating Chips During Smashing Pumpkins Drum Solo?

During a drum solo during at a The Smashing Pumpkins show in Milwaukee, frontman Billy Corgan was caught on video eating some kind of chip from a cup. Fans of the band on YouTube had a field day commenting on what he was chowing down on and made some terrific Smashing Pumpkins snack-puns.

At the Oct. 30 Smashing Pumpkin's show at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Corgan can be seen leaning on an amp and rapidly devouring chips from a cup while drummer Jimmy Chamberlin pounds away. Then he wipes his hands on a towel and resumes the performance. Check out the video below, but go in with an open mind, because we think the exact nature of the Corgan-Chow is far from definitive.

First, the YouTube comments. The top comment is a "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" take from a dude named Dave, "Despite all my rage i am still gonna eat all the Lays." Winner. A close second is a takeoff from "Zero," "Hungriness is godliness, and God is hungry, just like me." Farther down is a rip from the song "Today," "These Lays are the greatest… snack I've ever known." Also, an explanation of why Corgan was eating "greasy chips," aside from just being starved. Because "Eating greasy chips is actually an old recording studio trick for singers. It can help lubricate the vocal cords." Huh?!

Now onto the real question, what was he munching on? Take a look at the picture below. Yes, they certainly could be standard stale-ass tortilla chips they sell by the trash bag at concession stands in every arena everywhere. But take a closer look.

Close-Up of Billy Corgan Eating Chips

Does that have a triangle shape? Hard to tell, but it looks a bit more like the classic concave shape of a Lays potato chip. Or, perhaps, a Pringle. Both of those fit into the "why" explanation of grease soothing aching vocal cords. Also, some commenters have posited that he was dipping. Maybe salsa or nacho cheese. Eh? We here at Loudwire see no evidence of dip. There is nothing dripping from that chip.

Regardless, enjoy the video below. Remember, Corgan needs his fuel. The Smashing Pumpkins have a lot of work ahead. They recently announced an ambitious project: The three part studio album/rock opera called ATUM, billed as a sequel to 1995's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and 2000's Machina/The Machines of God. The first installment is supposed to arrive on Nov. 15, 2022.

And get yourself a snack while you're at it.

Billy Corgan Eating Chips Onstage at the Smashing Pumpkins Show in Milwaukee

Oct. 30, 2022