This was a show I was very excited for yet also skeptical for because I always have heard divisive things about The Smashing Pumpkins’ live performances, especially over the past couple of years.
However, after Tuesday night, I can confirm that this show is a must see if you’re a fan, whether if you’re a casual fan or an absolute die-hard. The only downside to this was I somehow had to balance covering this show as a journalist and a hardcore fan. The fighting urge to just belt out to lyrics to Today while shooting pictures was really strong, but somehow kept it in.
The Smashing Pumpkins have been one of my favorites bands for the past few years now. I had heard their big hits before such as 1979 and Bullet with Butterfly Wings. When I dug deeper and deeper into their catalogue, I started to come to the realization that this was a band I absolutely had to catch live. My first chance came last October when the band they made a pit stop at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on their co-headlining tour with Jane’s Addiction. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it. So when I saw that Pumpkins were making a return to the Big D this summer, I just knew that I had to make it work.
Rival Sons opened up the evening at Dos Equis Pavilion, a band that I really didn’t know much about going into the evening other than a couple of songs. Most notably a song called Torture that was in the 2011 film Real Steel that I was really hoping would get played but sadly it wasn’t. The group has really talented members across the board, but I was in awe of the vocals from lead singer Jay Buchanan. It was really a kind of voice I really haven’t heard before, especially in a live setting.
Shortly after Rival Sons’ bidding their farewell, it was time for a band from the complete opposite coast of the country to take the stage. That band being none other than Interpol.
I guess I had no idea how many people came to this show to see Interpol, but from the moment they took the stage, I realized just how many people came to see them and had the crowd completely captivated. Like Rival Sons, I wasn’t hugely familiar with the New York based band’s material aside from a handful of tracks. With that being said, ever since leaving the venue, I have been on a huge Interpol kick and I really wish I knew more of their catalogue going into their performance, because there would have probably been a decent chance my voice would still be gone.
The standout songs in their set to me were Evil and Slow Hands which the latter the band ended up closing with. Stone Temple Pilots (the other rotating opener for the tour) would have been cool to see but in the end, Interpol was another solid choice to open for the Pumpkins.
At last, The Smashing Pumpkins took the stage at 9:15 and it was such a surreal feeling seeing frontman Billy Corgan walking onto the stage for the first time along with the rest of the band, particularly James Iha, Jimmy Chamberlin, and Jeff Schroeder. From the moment the Pumpkins ripped into the first notes of The Everlasting Gaze, there was no stopping from there.
Admittedly, I had looked at their previous setlists of the our beforehand and nothing really changed sadly. However, I thought the set itself tailored to what every kind of fan wanted to see. It was a collective mix of hits (ex. 1979, Today, Tonight, Tonight, etc), deep cuts (Doomsday Clock , Jellybelly, Perfect, etc), and new material (Beguiled and Spellbinding).
What caught me by surprised the most however, was the band’s interaction with the audience, especially Billy. There was at one point during the show where he asked guitarist James Iha “You know what I like about Dallas, James?” Billy then proceeded to say “The Cowboys”. To his surprise, this statement got more boos than cheers from the crowd which coming from a die-hard Cowboys fan was hilarious.
The band closed out the show with a one-two-three punch of 1979, Cherub Rock, and Zero which honestly would leave any Smashing Pumpkins fan satisfied leaving the venue. Billy took his time waving to the fans before he left for good. During this time, a fan threw a cowboy hat at him, and Billy took it upon himself to put the hat on and imitate the act of riding a horse, garnering a huge roar from the crowd.
It has been a couple of days since the show and I still stand by that this is a show you don’t want to miss if you’re a fan of The Smashing Pumpkins. Plus, you get a heck of a bonus seeing Interpol and Rival Sons as well. I would definitely catch this tour if it’s stopping in a city near you.
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