Billy Corgan might be in the news of late for his comments about the Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam, but what you might have missed in all the hoopla is that the Smashing Pumpkins have a new album, Monuments To An Elegy
This series of shows was no doubt an opportunity to showcase the new songs whilst dusting off the cobwebs for what will certainly be some extensive touring come the new year. As such, Corgan and crew kept things on the down-low … no opener, limited merch offerings (only 3 t-shirt designs) and no frills. The band took the stage promptly at 8 pm and took their time delivering a flawless hour and forty minute set which was front-end loaded with a handful of Monuments tunes but certainly did not skimp on the classics and even included a fantastic version of David Bowie’s Fame that the band truly made their own. and a downright hypnotic solo by Corgan during Silverfuck which even riffed on the Cult’s She Sells Sanctuary for a bit.
Many people are pointing out the obvious … that there is only one original band member of the Pumpkins (Corgan) but the real question is, can they deliver? With Jeff Schroeder on guitar joined by Mark Stoermer of The Killers on bass and Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine on drums, the short answer is hell yes. Schroeder has been with the band for seven years and his earned his spot. Stoermer and Wilk did the songs more-than-justice but didn’t go so far as to take any of the spotlight. It worked. And well.
Smashing Pumpkins fans are a truly dedicated lot and while they may pine for days past, they weren’t going to let anything short of the apocalypse stand between them and the music. Unfortunately, the storm of the decade (aka “Hellastorm”) happened to roll though the Bay Area the same day (prompting an apt dig by Corgan directed at the San Francisco audience when he asked Jeff, “in Chicago would this be called the storm of the century?”). Either …
- people were held up by weather-related traffic, or
- they didn’t get the memo about the start time
… in any case, the astonished looks on people’s faces as they rolled in the door between 8:30 and 9:00 pm and tried to find a spot on the already-packed floor while the Pumpkins blasted through Tonight, Tonight was both hilarious and at the same time sad. Late or not, nobody held back during Zero or Bullet with Butterfly Wings during which the floor was a just a few thrown-elbows shy of a mosh. And during Silverfuck there wasn’t a bit encouragement needed to get the chant going, “bang bang you’re dead, hole in your head.”
Clearly on a mission this night, Corgan’s vocals were on-point and, aside from a mildly-awkward shimmy during one of Schroeder’s solos, was a gracious host as he delivered precisely what the audience came for.
Setlist:
- One and All (We Are)
- Being Beige
- Hummer
- Tiberius
- Tonight, Tonight
- Drum + Fife
- Glass and the Ghost Children
- Stand Inside Your Love
- Monuments
- Drown
- Disarm
- Zero
- Bullet with Butterfly Wings
- Fame (David Bowie cover)
- Silverfuck
–Encore–
- Burnt Orange-Black
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