Billy Corgan Brings “Mellon Collie” to the Lyric Opera: A Monumental Opening Night in Chicago

Nov 22, 2025 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Musical Theatre, Reviews 0

By James Currie

On a brisk November evening that felt made for nostalgia and reinvention, Billy Corgan stepped onto the Lyric Opera of Chicago stage and delivered one of the most ambitious performances of his career. “A Night of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” staged in honor of the album’s 30th anniversary, opened to a sold-out crowd that blended opera devotees, lifelong Smashing Pumpkins fans and curious newcomers ready to see what happens when alternative rock’s grandest opus meets a world-class opera house.

What happened was far more than a tribute, it was a reimagining. In a collision of alternative nostalgia and operatic grandeur, Billy Corgan turned the Lyric Opera into a dreamscape, proving that Mellon Collie still has the power to astonish 30 years later.

Tonight, an iconic album of the 90’s was reborn in America’s second largest opera house. Originally released in 1995, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness remains a sprawling, emotionally rich double album that defined a generation. For the anniversary, Corgan worked closely with Lyric Opera’s creative team to transform key tracks into a staged, orchestrated performance that blurred the lines between rock concert and theatrical production.

The artists on this line up consisted of Billy Corgan as the composer and vocalist accompanied by four main singers Sydney Mancasola – Soprano, Zoie Reams- Mezzo-soprano, Dominick Valdez Chenes – Tenor and Edward Parks – Baritone. Each sharing the roll of Corgan’s voice throughout the albums reimagined tracks.

Broken into 2 acts, Directed by Katie Spelman, the night opened with a lush, fully orchestrated overture built around the title track, conducted by James Lowe. As the melody rose from the center stage pit, the audience fell into an immediate hush as an overture that was instantly familiar, yet hauntingly new.

Corgan entered moments later, dressed in a minimalist black ensemble in an almost militaresque look that featured a long black leather trench coat and black pants, standing alone in a spotlight as he began “Tonight, Tonight.” Supported by a sweeping arrangement for full orchestra and a 40 person choir directed by Micheal Black, the song became an operatic anthem, swelling with cinematic drama while retaining its original emotional punch. This was met with great fan fervor as an eruption of applause and cheers rang out. Something that typically does not happen at an Opera.

Unlike a traditional rock show, many songs were staged as operatic vignettes. “Galapogos” arrived with sharp lighting, stark imagery, and a orchestra dressed in monochrome avant-garde clothing that echoed the album’s themes of alienation and excess.

Throughout the performance, gifted incredible visuals were created in part by Greg Emetaz and lighting by Chris Maravich added depth to tracks like “To Forgive”, “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “Cupid de Locke” staging an art deco style movement as Corgan and crew brought new life through the song’s iconic angst. We saw many iconic Chicago images throughout the night that included Chicago skylines, lake views, starry nights, astral projections that mimic album artwork and even The World Columbian Exposition of Chicago of 1893.

The first act came to a close with “Thru The Eyes of Ruby”. As you can probably already tell, this performance was not an album live in its entirety. Songs were not only reconstructed but rearranged to fit this new format.

In the second act, “1979,” by contrast, shifted into a reflective chamber-pop arrangement, with Corgan front a center again as a string quartet carried the song’s shimmering nostalgia. It was one of the night’s most emotionally resonant moments, drawing both cheers and tears from the audience. At one point, I saw a man in front of me a few rows down raise his arm in the air upping the irons. He alone, silently and constant, was solo in tribute to the alt rock classic reimagined. That gesture alone made this feel like a rock event.

The juxtaposition of opera and alt-rock was bold, but it worked.

Billy Corgan said in a recent interview, “Mellon Collie was a world I wanted to build—bigger than the band, bigger than me,” Reflecting on the weight of 3 decades continuing with, “Thirty years later, it still feels like a place people want to return to.” He thanked Lyric Opera for “taking a chance on something unorthodox,” joking, “I don’t think they had ‘Smashing Pumpkins opera’ on their bingo card.”

The collaboration felt especially meaningful given Corgan’s long history with Chicago’s music scene. It’s not only home, but the place he cut his teeth on making music, learning the industry and building the blocks of stardom. He said in a CBS interview, “I wrote most of these songs here. They carry the fingerprints of this place. Bringing them to the Lyric feels like bringing them home.”

The evening concluded with a rousing encore of “Tonight, Tonight,” re-arranged as a triumphant opera-rock hybrid, followed by a delicate, nearly whisper-soft reprise of the album’s legacy. One by one, the leads came back to stage, each taking a line from the song until Corgan himself returns to complete the lineup. The last notes faded under a standing ovation that continued for several minutes.

Before tonight, critics and fans alike had speculated about what such an experimental collaboration might look like. Would it work? Would anyone care or attend? Would these songs translate into a new world that would be accepted and appreciated? Sure there were a couple small hiccups in sync and cues, but it was opening night. Tonight, opening night, the answer became clear: it looked like history in the making. Billy Corgan and the Lyric Opera didn’t just celebrate Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, they elevated it. And if opening night is any indication, this anniversary run may become one of Chicago’s most talked-about musical events of the decade.

For more on A Night of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness at the Civic Opera House Chicago, click here

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Setlist: Billy Corgan, A Night of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Civic Opera House Chicago – Opening Night – November 21, 2025

Act One: