PUMPKINS' Chicago farewell. On Saturday, December 2 at Chicago's Metro, SMASHING PUMPKINS performed a four-and-a-half-hour set that would be their last, says Billboard. The set list spanned 13 years and 6 studio albums' worth of material, and included cameo appearances by Billy Corgan's father, CHEAP TRICK's Rick Nielsen, and former PUMPKINS touring drummer Matt Walker. The 1,100 fans lucky enough to get inside were given a recording of the band's debut gig in 1988-- also at the Metro.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS head back to the studio. Rolling Stone reports that bassist Flea made the announcement just following the My VH1 Awards, where the band scored two awards. RHCP will be returning to the studio in February to record a follow-up to last year's Californication.

GREEN DAY for the holidays. Before embarking on their 2001 US tour, GREEN DAY will hit four holiday music festivals, says Live Daily. Look for them at the WHFSmas Holiday Nutcracker in Virginia, the KNDD 9th Annual Deck the Hall Ball in Seattle, the Live 105 Not So Silent Night in San Francisco, and the 11th Annual KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas in Los Angeles. For more details, click the links for each festival.

Compiled by Glennie Rabin
News Editor