November 30, 1999  

Hole Bassist Joins Pumpkins
Melissa
Melissa Auf Der Maur, who split with Courtney Love and the rest of Hole in late October, has officially signed on with the Smashing Pumpkins.

Auf Der Maur will play bass on the band's forthcoming world tour, which kicks off Jan. 7 at the Cirkus in Stockholm, Sweden. She replaces D'Arcy Wretzsky, who left the Pumpkins in early September.

The new bassist will play with founding members Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin, who returned to the Pumpkin fold earlier this year. He was fired in late 1997, following his involvement in the overdose death of the band's touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin.

Auf Der Maur does not appear, however, on the band's fifth album, titled MACHINA/the machines of God. The follow-up to 1998's Adore is currently set for a Feb. 29, 2000, release.

Confirmed Smashing Pumpkins tour dates
Jan. 7 — Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden
Jan. 9 — Cirkusbygningen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Jan. 11 — Muffathalle, Munich, Germany
Jan. 12 — Alcatraz, Milan, Italy
Jan. 15 — Coliseum, Lisbon, Portugal
Jan. 16 — La Riviera, Madrid, Spain
Jan. 18 — Elysee Montmarte, Paris, France
Jan. 19 — Cirque Royale, Brussels, Begium
Jan. 21 — Apollo Manchester, Manchester, U.K.
Jan. 22 — Dominion Theatre, London, U.K.
Jan. 24 — Muziekcentrum, Utrecht, The Netherlands

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