{"id":48584,"date":"2022-09-21T19:12:11","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T00:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=48584"},"modified":"2022-09-21T19:13:03","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T00:13:03","slug":"live-review-smashing-pumpkins-return-home-and-play-one-night-in-small-club-that-helped-start-it-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=48584","title":{"rendered":"Live Review: Smashing Pumpkins Return Home And Play One Night In The Small Club That Helped Start It All"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Christopher David<\/p>\n

There have been times throughout rock history in which a band, for whatever reason, established a relationship with a specific venue that was so intrinsic to their development that it goes down in history.\u00a0 Cheap Trick and Budokan.\u00a0 Jeff Buckley and Sin-E.<\/p>\n

And, of course, the grandaddy: The Smashing Pumpkins and our very own Cabaret Metro.\u00a0 Which is part of why Tuesday\u2019s Q101 promo show right on the heels of the Pumpkins\u2019 new album announcement was so special.\u00a0 The other part?\u00a0 The band seems to have a renewed energy and attack that calls to mind the best moments throughout their career, suggesting that we\u2019re entering one of those golden periods in SP history.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s get the big news out of the way, as the night was not without a special occasion attached.\u00a0 The new album is called ATUM<\/em> (pronounced \u201cAutumn\u201d), and in frontman Billy Corgan\u2019s own words, it\u2019s a rock opera in three acts (i.e. three individual records to be released in November, January, and March).\u00a0 Which, in layman\u2019s terms, means several dozen new SP songs over the course of the next few months, a musical banquet the likes of which we haven\u2019t seen since 1995\u2019s magnum opus Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness <\/em>and its counterpart, the equally lengthy The Aeroplane Flies High<\/em> (1996).<\/p>\n

With all of that in mind, it was a given that the band was going to hit the stage firing on all cylinders, but leave it to Corgan and Co. to deliver beyond expectations, which is exactly what they did in a two-and-a-half hour set that somehow managed to eschew nostalgia and look forward while revisiting some of the most poignant spots in the SP canon.\u00a0 Taking the stage to one of Siamese Dream<\/em>\u2019s heaviest cuts, \u201cQuiet\u201d led into the monstrous riff of \u201cEmpires,\u201d a new song that wouldn\u2019t feel out of place on Mellon Collie<\/em> but had even more breadth given the three guitar attack of Corgan, Jeff Schroeder, and the ever-hilarious James Iha, whose unique musical coloring adds a depth to the Pumpkins\u2019 sound you cannot ignore or discount.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From there, it was a barrage of fan favorites as well as a few deep cuts; a full band arrangement of \u201cUgly\u201d gave that song an entirely new life and deserved spot in the setlist, and the ebb and flow of \u201cStarla\u201d remains one of the band\u2019s strongest sonic roller coasters.\u00a0 Historically, Corgan has played around pretty extensively with the arrangement for \u201cSilverfuck\u201d to varying degrees of success, but Tuesday saw the album version remain intact, coming across as savagely as ever.\u00a0 \u201cBeguiled,\u201d the first single from ATUM<\/em>, has a soaring chorus that will surely fit right in during SP\u2019s upcoming arena tour, and the punchy energy of the crowd and Corgan chanting \u201creturn the faith\u201d together during the song\u2019s refrain set the stage for \u201cCherub Rock,\u201d which hasn\u2019t sounded this fresh in years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t going to play this next one,\u201d Corgan joked before the band pulled out a jubilant version of \u201cRocket.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d emotionally moved on, but then\u2026I got engaged.\u00a0 And James and Jimmy said, \u2018do it for the fans.\u2019 So here you go.\u201d\u00a0 The interplay between Corgan and Iha has always been both funny and heartwarming; indeed, Corgan was in grand spirits all night, gracious from top to bottom while including shoutouts to Metro owner Joe Shanahan and WXRT DJ Lin Brehmer before ending the night with a round of thanks for the crowd and a crushing version of Mellon Collie<\/em>\u2019s \u201cX.Y.U.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think, James?\u201d Corgan said at one point in referencing his recent engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the best is yet to come,\u201d James replied, to which Corgan gestured at the stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this band as well, I think the best is yet to come,\u201d Corgan remarked, and the crowd certainly seemed to agree.<\/p>\n

For the faithful, seeing the Pumpkins at Metro is a spiritual experience, and after so many years, the band clearly still feels the same in playing that iconic stage.\u00a0 Tuesday\u2019s show was a stunning snapshot of one of rock\u2019s most unique and rewarding bands at the peak of their powers, having settled into their role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock world.\u00a0 You could have closed your eyes at any point and it might have felt like 1993\u2014but keeping them open and seeing Corgan still blazing away in 2022 was even better.\u00a0 The best may indeed still be yet to come.<\/p>\n

For more on The Smashing Pumpkins, click here<\/strong><\/p>\n

====================================================<\/p>\n

The Smashing Pumpkins – Metro, Chicago, September 20, 2022 (setlist)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Quiet<\/p>\n

Empires<\/p>\n

Drown<\/p>\n

Ugly<\/p>\n

Bullet With Butterfly Wings<\/p>\n

Today<\/p>\n

Cyr<\/p>\n

Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads)<\/p>\n

Solara (w\/ drum solo)<\/p>\n

Eye<\/p>\n

Ava Adore<\/p>\n

Tonight, Tonight (acoustic)<\/p>\n

Snail<\/p>\n

Starla<\/p>\n

Stand Inside Your Love<\/p>\n

1979<\/p>\n

Beguiled<\/p>\n

Silverfuck<\/p>\n

Cherub Rock<\/p>\n

Zero<\/p>\n

Rocket<\/p>\n

If There is a God<\/p>\n

X.Y.U.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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