Smashing Pumpkins-Auditorium Theatre 11/21/08-Review

Oh, Billy... Where to start??? It would be fair to start by saying that I loved the Smashing Pumpkins in high school. I have some very clear memories about this band and my teenage years. My first memory involves driving one of my brothers down to Champaign and hearing "Today," "Cherub Rock," and "Disarm" for the first time and multiple times on the drive there and back on the "college" radio station. The other involves the day I purchased "Pisces Iscariot." I had a soccer game earlier that morning and on the drive home my ride made his mom stop at Best Buy. For whatever reason this mom let me buy a cd too. I bought "Pisces Iscariot." I remember sitting on my bed listening to this album while staring out the window. It was cold, October, and rainy. I was 15 and a half sad teenager. This was the perfect record. Most importantly, I lost my innocence to a no good girl while listening to the Smashing Pumpkins. Yes, I lost my virginity while Billy Corgan cried in the background. "Soma" was the song. The build up and climax(pun intended) of that song fit so nicely in that moment...

Anyways, last night...Coming into it I was prepared not to like it. I had already seen them in New Orleans last year and they were terrible. Take that combined with the reviews of the current tour, and all signs pointed to, "Yes, you will have a bad time." This did not happen. I didn't have a bad time. I enjoyed it. Alot. All the parts that people really hated, I liked. People booed, walked out, etc., but I thought it was great. The first seven or songs rocked. Some new songs that I barely recognized where Billy sung about feeling alone ( Really, Billy? Really? You still feel alone at 41? Snap out of it.), a rocking version of "Siva" and the peak of the concert the "Mayonnaise"/"Tonight, Tonight" combo. This got everybody into a frenzy. From there on, it was downhill for half of the audience. What followed was a mix of metal, noise, pop, and Billy Corgan guitar solos. In between he played "Today" followed by "Bullet WIth Butterfly Wings" to keep the angry part of the crowd around just a little bit longer so they could hear some more noise, metal, and solos and make them officially hate the concert. The last song lasted about 20 minutes. By the end of it there were alot of empty chairs...But the half that stayed was going crazy and they stuck around for at least 15 minutes after the band left the stage screaming for an encore. The encore never happened.

So, why Billy do you still insist on pissing people off? Who knows. You call this a 20 year anniversary tour, yet you play a bunch new songs cause you don't want to be a reunion bad. Fair enough, but then you wear a "Zero" tshirt the whole concert? What the french, toast?!? Again, really Billy? Really? Are you really moving forward when you're wearing a shirt like that? A song that came out 12 years ago? And a shirt that is only currently worn by fat, depressed, 14 year olds?

The man is still confused, and conflicted and his new band is pretty good...