Smashing Pumpkins Pull Off Set with Flawless, Dynamic Precision

REVIEW: Smashing Pumpkins pull off set with flawless, dynamic precision luchameleon.com /2012/10/review-smashing-pumpkins-pull-off-set-with-flawless-dynamic-precision/ luchameleon By Sean Keenehan Section Editor The Smashing Pumpkins took the stage for a homecoming performance on Friday, October 19th at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. The band performed their entire new album, Oceania, and a wide variety of earlier Pumpkins material in a commanding two-and-a-half-hour set. Photo By Sean Keenehan/The Chameleon. The Smashing Pumpkins held a homecoming concert Oct 19 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. With a stage production that included a large, inflatable, cylindrical LED screen suspended above the band, the Pumpkins pulled off Oceania with flawless, dynamic precision, both sonically and visually. The round, three-dimensional ball acted as part projector/part new media art installation, surrounded by a flashing light production that gave the screen the impression of a planet floating in outer space. Singer and guitarist Billy Corgan fronted the current Smashing Pumpkins lineup confidently and comfortably. He playfully traded licks with guitarist Jeff Schroeder (including a back-to-back harmony during the guitar solo of “Ava Adore”), executed perfect pitch, harmonized vocal exchanges with bassist Nicole Florentino (as well as humorous, between-song dialogues) and locked into the groves of 22-year old drummer, Mike Byrne (who also came from behind the drum set to play keyboards). Song highlights from Oceania included “Panopticon,” “Pinwheels,” “The Chimera” and the minimalistic, last song from Oceania, “Wildflower,” on which Schroeder, Florentino and Byrne all played keyboards while Corgan’s lone guitar tones wailed and soared throughout the arena. After an enjoyable performance of Oceania, Corgan quickly drifted into the obscure, heading directly into a slow, murky cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” followed by the 10-minute long, shrieking heavy metal assault of “X.Y.U.”, a deep cut from the Pumpkins 1996 double album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness . The over-the-top performance of “X.Y.U.” proved Corgan’s unpredictable artistic integrity and clearly demonstrated the trust that he has in his band and the Pumpkins audience. Earlier in the night, Corgan promised to play Pumpkins’ classics “if the band was in the mood” and if the band received “the right kind of love.” The crowd rose to an overwhelmingly, energetic roar and Corgan responded, “That’s the right kind of love,” he said. The Smashing Pumpkins would deliver the classics, revisiting earlier hits “Disarm,” “Tonight, Tonight” “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” “Zero” and “Cherub Rock,” before returning for their final two encores, “Ava Adore” and “Mayonaisse.” The Pumpkins performance of “Ava Adore” stripped the song from its original electronic elements down to an organic, straightforward rock anthem. The overexcited Pumpkins fans responded, screaming along with the words of the chorus, ‘We must never be apart.’ Showing he has nothing to hide to his audience, Corgan made himself transparent between songs, offering light-hearted dialogue on subjects such as songwriting – explaining that a broken heart helps write hit songs, social media –explaining “I never f—ing followed anyone” and how he was kicked off of Facebook for being suspected as an imposter of himself, sports – Corgan made it very clear that he prefers the Cubs over the White Sox, and politics – “No plan hasn’t always worked out,” Corgan said to the crowd. “I feel like Mitt Romney now.” Commenting on a homosexual engagement that took place live in front of the stage during “Tonight, Tonight,” which was performed in synch to the beautiful Georges Melies film Le Voyage dans la lune, Corgan wished the couple happiness and that “may love always prosper in your life and for everybody,” Corgan told the crowd. Billy Corgan’s graciously humble interactions with the band and audience established the togetherness of the Smashing Pumpkins. “They used to say that this band was about death and destruction,” Corgan said. “Now it’s about love.” Sean is the section editor for A and E and Co-Exist. He can be contacted at [email protected]. .

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