The Smashing Pumpkins 2018 Shiny and Oh So Bright tour features a three-hour marathon retrospective of the first ten years of the band’s recorded output from Gish (1991) to Machina/The Machine of Gods (2000). The show was inspired by the return of James Iha, the band’s original guitarist who hadn’t been involved since the Machina tour. I’ve been a fan since 1993, so I was excited for the opportunity to see them for a fourth time, especially with this focus on the early albums.
The tour came through the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday, July 28. I was admittedly unsure how it would go as the band has been known to be inconsistent live over the years and the last time I saw them play, which was in 2015, the set was a bit lackluster. But, based on my love for the music and what it has meant to me over the years, I decided to take a chance with what appeared to be a great experience and I’m really glad I did.
The show was undoubtedly designed for the fan, not the casual listener of the hits looking to experience an evening of 90s nostalgia. Unfortunately, the marketing and press around the tour was ambiguous on that point and it seemed like at least half of the audience was more interested nostalgia including the guy sitting next to me who suggested halfway through the show that he “used to like this band back in high school, but I’m not sure anymore. I don’t recognize half this shit they’re playing!” But, If you’re a fan of the first five studio albums, and by that I mean the whole albums not just the hits, then the show was a comprehensive walk down memory lane of the crème de la crème of that era of Pumpkins output.
Billy Corgan took full advantage of the hype and arena-sized platform to craft a masterful art rock experience, complete with compelling video, moving stage elements that doubled as light rigs and projection screens, and subtle costume changes. My highlights of the show were a piano based version of Adore’s “To Sheila”, a beautiful rendition of a beautiful song, the opening solo acoustic version of “Disarm” that featured photos and videos from Billy’s childhood, and a spot on version of “Soma”, which transported me back to my first live Smashing Pumpkins experience in 1994 when they opened with that song on the Siamese Dream tour. A bonus moment for me was the intro to fan favorite “Mayonaise”, where Billy and James played the double guitar part facing each other symbolizing the origin of the band when the two of them (and a drum machine) debuted as the Smashing Pumpkins exactly 30 years ago this month.
Overall, the show was the best I’ve ever heard the band live, the most comfortable and “into it” I recall ever seeing Billy, and a familiar but fresh take on music that I’ve come to cherish. After three straight hours of quality Pumpkins, it may be a while before I feel the need to see them live again, but this show will leave a lasting positive feeling about Billy Corgan and what he has created during these past three decades.
Thanks to Jim Powers for posting this (and other) awesome videos from the show: