KANSAS CITY - NOVEMBER 25, 2008
Two decades after forming, the Smashing Pumpkins are still transcending grunge and alternative rock. Problem is, those genres no longer exist. Grunge has given way to post-grunge, which is growing too stale for even modern-rock radio. Alternative is now indie, found in dorm rooms and Volkswagen commercials nationwide. In the '90s, the Smashing Pumpkins sold more albums than God. Only a few devoted followers, however, bought 2007's Zeitgeist. Billy Corgan, the Pumpkins hairless leader, clearly appreciates his most loyal fans, but he has a vendetta against the corrosive forces disfiguring the music industry.
It's Billy Corgan's world. You're just paying 50 bucks to spend three hours in it. With such a consuming message, a reunion tour can sound an awful lot like a manifesto. It can be hard for Ahab to rock out when he was chasing that damn white whale.
Click on photo for slide show.
As was the case for Monday's Black Sunshine segment, White Crosses night would not resemble the band's Greatest Hits redux. "They're my fuckin' songs, I'll play 'em if I want to play 'em," was Corgan's eloquent announcement from the stage at the Midland Tuesday night. "We're not a jukebox," he emphasized, then continued to play the exact same setlist from every previous White Crosses installment.
Despite the self-conscious shortage of crowd-pleasing material, some of the Smashing Pumpkins essential catalog was found among the lesser known songs. Jimmy Chamberlin's metronomic drum kick on "1979" still sounds as good as it did on Casey Kasem's Top 40. "Ava Adore" is still a creepy industrial lust song. "Cherub Rock" was both cherubic and rocking. I got chills during "Soma" at the part where the full band and distortion pedal interrupt the quiet bridge. At the risk of sounding like the kind of fan you despise, Billy - why couldn't you just play Siamese Dream in its entirety, just like my iTunes does for me?
An intermission following "A Song for a Son" brought the inevitable Corgan monologue. Under the guise of resting his voice from the cold he was getting over, Corgan held forth on a number of subjects: excessive T-shirt prices ("Heroin addiction is expensive."), the Jayhawks ("Does anybody still care about college?"), Radiohead (I don't think he likes 'em), and Ayn Rand (the only author I've read who's as preachy as a Pumpkins concert). Despite the combative undertones, he was actually in a pleasant, nearly gleeful mood, performing acoustic "good time jams" with guitarist Jeff Schroeder. The jokey "jam" snippets of Geek USA, Thirty-Three, and Smells Like Teen Spirit ("That was a big hit for me.") dragged on too long before the duo resumed the set with the obligatory "Landslide" cover ("Ruined by the Dixie Chicks.") Less talk, more rock indeed.
The beautiful instrumental "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" was followed by "Galapogos" from the same album, showcasing a violin and a two-part brass section. Had the Smashing Pumpkins stopped at this point, come back for their two-song encore, and ended the show, it would have been a very good concert. Instead, they proceeded with an hour of ear-splitting sludge metal, meandering jams, and an indistinguishable cover of "The Sound of Silence" with a little bit of "Little Red Riding Hood" thrown in. Billy Corgan delivered his thesis statement by pushing dangerously close to boredom. I mostly understand and respect what you're doing, Mr. Corgan.
You're trying to preserve your band's identity and remain vital in a world that's left many of your peers behind. But you shouldn't do it at the expense of playing good songs.
Critics Notebook
Personal Bias: If the Smashing Pumpkins need an extra band member, I'll be happy to come on tour. Just let me know where I can find my goth princess outfit.
Random Detail: The back of my ticket stub says "Do Not Expose to Extreme Heat or Direct Prolonged Sunlight." This also applies to the pale, vampirish Billy Corgan.
By the Way: Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, 2/4 of the original Pumpkins (that's 1/2 for my former Math 002 students), were joined by an ensemble of seven other musicians. Some would argue that a true reunion tour must involve all, or at least a majority, of its surviving members. I consulted my definitive rock journalist handbook, and if greater than 33% of the original members are present, it counts as a reunion tour.
Setlist
-- Grant Snider
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the smashing pumpkins need to stay smashed,they suck.billy corgan can sing like my dog howl's.
St. Louis show was a joke. Middle of the show was OK, but then end was agonizing. Kept expecting them to redeem themselves at the end, but that did not happen.
Just saw the St. Louis show tonight and I would take this review and make it about 3 times worse. I don't kno what the hell happened after around the 4th quarter of the show. The playlist for this was appalling. Don't call it a reunion show and then play crazy sludge crap for an hour!! It's ok to pander to your fans. They came to be reminded of what it was like to listen to some of the wonderful sounds of the 90's. I want at least 30 bucks back, jesus...
No, he tripped over some cords or something on around 10:00ish, and fell back into the drum stage. He grabbed the back of his head when he got back up, but somehow the band didn't miss a beat. Great show.
I must have missed the tumble...was that when he was paraded through the crowd by the stage crew?
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