Smashing Pumpkins @ United Palace

The show focused way more on showcasing Billy Corgan, the prima donna rock star, rather than resurrecting a semblance of the tranquil, open-stringed Smashing Pumpkins that represented an era for me (and a good chunk of ear plugging fans in the United Palace). This was hardly a reunion. As Corgan rocked, the converted movie palace turned church turned venue held fans captive because despite the awe-inspiring visage,  the seats have roughly eight inches of space per patron, thus a hard rage fest rock show didn’t really do anybody justice – you can’t move in there. While a few of the sleeveless-shirted, muscle-bound fans got their mosh on, and more power to ‘em, I sensed that most fans didn’t know where to throw themselves. The venue was a perfect spot for a more zone-out set laden with introspective songs like Drown, Luna, Spaceboy, and Glynis, yet the snarky Corgan opted elsewhere.

Instead, Corgan preferred to get his nut off on songs like G.L.O.W., Speed Kills, Transformer, Superchrist, Once Upon a Time and Heavy Metal Machine. Again, a source of guilty selfishness and spite, it is admirable that Corgan opted to focus the first night at the United Palace on obscurities and new tunes, but the sum of these songs was too much wannabe teen rage coming out of an awkward skirt-wearing cliché of a rock star that was awfully hard to swallow.

Corgan quasi-taunted fans with sarcastic quips about playing the “best show they have ever played” and how he “didn’t speak New York” or “wasn’t gonna play the songs you all lost your virginity to.”  Most of his banter read like insults cloaked in sarcasm, though at times his humor did strike a right note, like when he joked about having a classic meltdown if the crowd did not like his final section of the set, joking, “I know myself. I read about me on the Internet.” But just because you joke about not playing what the crowd yearns to hear, it does not mean that everybody has to smile about it.

Anyway, as I mentioned the feelings were polarized, because I hate to bitch about a band not playing what you want to hear. After all, it is their band and you are supposed to like them, right? There were plenty of bright spots like the far-reaching, delay pedal-laden cover of Pink Floyd’s Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. While the cover was not so true to the original, the band funneled electricity into their version, rocking out at 100+ decibels.

Also, Heavy Metal Machine featured a couple very well-placed musical nods with teases of both Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit and Rush’s Tom Sawyer. The new tune off the recent acoustic E.P. American Gothic titled The Rose March provided a soothing refrain from the head spinning loudness. One of the true highlights of the show came after Corgan’s obvious tribute to Barack Obama in United States when he ripped a searing guitar rendition of the National Anthem in which he filled the melodies with added color with dissonance and interesting note combinations. Finally, given that Today  probably ranks up there in the annals my favorite songs that achieved most-addicted status over the years, this was a treat to hear.

Unfortunately, the encore just flat out sucked. The whole band came out and honked around the stage with kazoos, accordions and half ass singing voices as they butchered Ray Stevens’ Everything is Beautiful. The night culminated with Billy Corgan walking to the front of the stage bowing to each section of the venue as if he just wrapped up a starring performance in Phantom of the Opera, almost as though he expected white roses, leaving me (and I think a lot of other fans) with a pretty bad taste in my mouth as well as a congested head.

Maybe it was the nasally voice that sounds so much worse in the live setting?  Maybe was the painful awkwardness of a giant man wearing a flowing skirt while he wielded his Fender below his hip line? Maybe it was the way he let his guitar dangle from the strap as he outstretches his arms to take in the fans’ glowing praise as if he was recharging his batteries with ego juice? Maybe it was the near god complex?  Maybe it was simply the outgrowing of a hero? Maybe it was because two of the original members were not part of the reunion tour?

Or maybe it was just not the same band.

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4 Responses

  1. This whole Smashing Pumpkins reunion is a sham. Corgan & Chamberlain were in Zwan & Chamberlain played on Corgan’s solo album. How is this Smashing Pumpkins now? It isn’t. The last few lines sum up why I have no interest in seeing this incarnation of the band ever.

  2. Gotta agree. I don’t have much interest in seeing this latest band. I’ll continue to wear out my Siamese Dream-era bootlegs. Remember Drown with all the acoustic tracks? I love that disc.

  3. You can learn guitar basics by finding an instructor, getting some books, taking free and paid online lessons or by purchasing and using guitar lesson software. The basics of guitar playing run from holding the guitar to learning how to play chords and read tablature to playing simple songs on your guitar.

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