*Updated*

If Tuesday was an awkward nightmare, last night was a lucid dream. On their second night of four in Chicago, the Smashing Pumpkins continued where they left off the night before at the Chicago Theatre. Much like the previous night’s performance, fans’ expectations were high, smiling and chatting up a storm before the lights fell down. A few remarked on Tuesday’s set list, warning newcomers of rarities, long jams, and extended renditions. Needless to say, this didn’t put a damper on things.

Quite the opposite, actually. Moments after the theater killed the lights, the eerie carnival-esque music introduced the band again, only this time it died off to make way for the stomping, industrial influenced “Ava Adore.” Slowly and surely, everyone fell prey to their instruments, but there was still no sign of Corgan. Minutes after, the elusive frontman scuttled on stage, holding a luminous Jack O’ Lantern as he turned towards the audience with a venomous stare. With a lengthy leather coat, Corgan’s look was straight out of the song’s corresponding Gothic-like video. As for the performance itself, the song kept its bite and sounded identical to the studio recording, which the same could be said of “Cupid De Locke” and “1979″, the latter of which has been played acoustic over the year.

It was breathtaking. The band did a complete one-eighty, and the crowd was hip to it. Even when the acoustics were brought out a tad early, there was no guff. The residency favorite “99 Floors” played well, as did newer track “Owata” and American Gothic’s “Sunkissed.” What came as a surprise were the treats that followed, “Soma” had every young lady jumping up and down in excitement, “Cherub Rock” beat the hell out of any possible fan request, and the bridge into “Zero” was orgasmic by all grunge-like proportions. The floor shook and quaked, which went well with the hellish light show, as these favorites were belted out one by one…

…and it didn’t stop there, either. More Mellon Collie material had fans screaming and crying out. This was the band everyone had come for, and Corgan actually appeared to be enjoying it. “Bodies” pelted away after “Zero” skinned every fan raw, and Corgan, despite battling a cold, seethed foam at the microphone. Everytime he screamed, “Love is suicide,” he glared his teeth in a rhythmic rage. Probably because he knew he’d be slowing down some, as “Crestfallen” (off Adore) and “I Of The Mourning” (off Machina) came next. The latter saw Corgan and guitarist Jeff Schroeder sharing a fine shredding moment; however, the emotion, at least vocally, was non-existent. This came as a surprise because the song’s outro is dependent on this.

More acoustic numbers followed: “A Song for a Son”, arguably one of the strongest tracks Corgan has written lately, the Fleetwood Mac cover and crowd favorite “Landslide”, and naturally, “Disarm.” One continuous lyrical theme in this show, which is technically dubbed White Crosses (to Tuesday’s Black Sunshine), is this idea of space travel and more specifically, a journey to the sun. In “A Song for a Son”, there are references to “space invaders” and how they “flew into” the giant star. This might shed light as to why the band felt it necessary to include the twenty minute-plus Floyd cover (”Set the Controls to the Heart of the Sun”) on Tuesday.

Before “Disarm”, Corgan had a little business to attend to, as he fielded another discussion. This time, however, he focused on Chicago sports. “There we go, my favorite part,” he said. “The all drunk as shit time.” He threw out some Bears jokes, predicting a Bears Super Bowl win in 2012, with Ditka as the hero and just in time for the end of the world. When football bored him, he shifted to baseball, “Isn’t it about time I write the new Cubs song?” He laughed, as he added, “I think I can top ‘Go Cubs Go.’” Everyone screamed with positive enthusiasm, until he turned attention to the historic rivalry between Cubs and White Sox fans. When both sides of the theater screamed at one another, he chimed in, “Well, now that I’ve killed the show with baseball talk, I’ll just go home now.” That didn’t happen, but it sure as hell switched off the emotion. He’s just lucky “Disarm” is such a crowd favorite, because when he introduced it (”I wrote this song on the North side, where all good songs happen”), one expected an all out fist fight.

No blood was shed, thankfully. Instead, the band came back, performing a rousing rendition of “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness”, which kick started a short and sweet “Gossamer.” The length of the “jam to end all jams” came as a surprise (it’s been known to last for almost 40 mins), but the sixteen minute rendition went peachy. “Galapagos” let Chamberlin relax some, but only for a moment as the heavy distortion ceased to end with newcomer “As Rome Burns”, which is one of the heaviest songs Corgan has written post-2000. This intensity only heightened with the varied Simon & Garfunkel cover, “The Sounds of Silence”. It was actually funny to hear Paul Simon all Pumpkin’d up, yet as hardcore of a cover as it is, it’s not as intriguing as one would like it to be. After hours of shredding, one can only be surprised so much.

It was obvious that the dream-pop that started the show was meant to turn back to the twisted nightmare that kicked off the previous night. The heavy grime that began with “Gossamer” was expected, but nobody foresaw a New Orleans like live show, at least not from Corgan & Co. Yet that’s exactly what happened. Holding a tambourine and from under a top hat, Corgan danced around to jungle like beats that were further defined by a horn section which overpowered everything. The dance party lingered some, but had some hips swaying and couples swooning. Who would have expected that at a Pumpkins show? Wait, don’t answer that.

Things “started” to wrap up eventually. Corgan appeared exhausted, probably with the prospect of five more songs to get through. Either way, the band persisted. There wasn’t much of a crowd reaction to “Suffer”, another cut from Gish, which came off as jarring, but one could blame the set’s overreaching time limits (pushing the three hour mark), which would definitely explain why a good majority left during “Age of Innocence.”

Rest assured, the encore came and went. An acoustic performance of “That’s the Way (My Love Is)” went well, as the crowd helped out vocally. It was surreal to hear so many people get behind a Zeitgeist track. The times are definitely changing. Finally, Corgan did the standard strut to the mic, to speak to the crowd one last time. His cold had taken a toll and when he asked, “I’m tired, I don’t wanna play anymore. Do I have to?” It was apparent that he was actually being honest. Yet the audience persisted, to which Corgan warned, “I bet you when I play this song, you’ll wish you went home.”

He’s not exactly a prophet, but he certainly was right. As the digital bass whizzed on, the band jumped into the rarity Peel Sessions demo, “I Am One Part 2.” Most were lost with this track, and rightfully so, and many left dumbfounded and lost. How unfortunate as the alternative addicts put together a beautiful mish mash of riffs, wails, and distortional chemistry (is that even a term?). Influences poured out of Corgan left and right, especially his fondness for shoegaze, as he borrowed heavily from Kevin Shields (of My Bloody Valentine). With the blue flowery lights twirling around and the scope-like spotlights, the whole shebang seemed more like a warped ’50s slow dance than a rock show. Although on second thought, that seems fitting. The whole show was designed like a dream and rather than end on a bad note, Corgan’s being a bit optimistic. The closer might not have been as accessible as some fans preferred, but it was a gorgeous display of everything this band stands for, can offer, and can be.

Towards the end, when everyone had already vacated the stage, Corgan remained behind. He had put back on his top hat and he was smiling. He might have been tired, downright exhausted, and in all likely hood, sick as hell, but he spent a good five minutes high-fiving fans, throwing out picks, and even handing out his guitar to someone. In that supreme moment, one thing was concrete: Corgan is back in Chicago, and he’s happy about it.

And no, it wasn’t all a dream.

Special thanks to the Smashing Pumpkins Media Militia and Cara Higgins for photo support.

Added Bonus:

The star of the show came out to talk with fans afterward. Did you miss it? Just dying to find out? Well, fortunately Ms. Higgins was there on the scene, as you can watch below:

Set List:
Ava Adore
Cupid De Locke
1979
99 Floors
Owata
Sunkissed
Soma
Cherub Rock
Zero
Bodies
Crestfallen
I of the Mourning
A Song for a Son
Landslide
Disarm
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Galapogos
Gossamer
As Rome Burns
The Sounds of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
The March Hare
Suffer
Age of Innocence
Encore
That’s The Way (My Love Is) (acoustic)
I Am One Part 2

Categories: Concert Reviews, Features
Tags: The Smashing Pumpkins