As always, a good venue. The openers were Explosions in the Sky and while I don’t know the names of any of their songs, I fully enjoyed their non-stop set. They might have said “hello” and “thank you,” but that was about it. And then it was time for the Smashing Pumpkins.
I would have been disappointed with this show even if I had not attended their residency in North Carolina earlier this year. Aside from the lighting, this show did not shine at all. They did not stray far from their new material, which was okay, but I would have enjoyed a setlist stacked with a little more older material. “Zero,” “33,” “1979,” and “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” all sounded great, but I thought they were obvious choices from their expansive catalog. The only somewhat surprise was “Set the Ray to Jerry,” a b-side from their “1979” single.
Also, Billy and the (new) gang have moved a little closer to the jamband side of the spectrum. And while it’s nice to see them improvise on the recorded material, I lost interest after the third or fourth time they did it. At one point they went into a cover of “I Love Rock and Roll.” As much fun as that is , I’d rather leave that song in the jukebox.
To top it all off, the Pumpkins played for less than two hours. The concert was over by 10pm. For the high ticket price, I expected the show to end at the normal time around here-11pm.
All that said, they do sound great—allmost as if it were the original line-up. If you get a chance to see them and you are a fan, I’d recommend it. You never know how long this incarnation will last.