Smashing Pumpkins Recap

There was no better occasion to stack the set-list with tunes from their first five albums, with Gish (1991) featuring prominently and Siamese Dream (1993) being applauded alongside Nirvana’s Nevermind as a 90’s essential.

The occasion of the band’s reunion, coupled with the Smashing Pumpkins’ nostalgic approach meant it would be nothing short of awe-inspiring for their fans.

A montage consisting of the band’s early album covers began the show, with appearances from the twins from the aforementioned Siamese Dream, the iconic ice cream truck from the ‘Today, Today’ video and the woman in the star from Melan Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Corgan, armed only with himself and his star acoustic guitar, nailed his solo introduction with ‘Disarm’ before the band was firing on all cylinders playing ‘Siva’ with a little extra time on the strings to tune the crowd in.

David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ fit right in along the band’s often psychedelic and dream pop vibes, with Corgan standing alone above the band staring off into the manufactured galaxy behind him on screen. Covers throughout the night followed the pattern of instant recognition, including Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and the band’s well-renowned cover of ‘Landslide’ by Fleetwood Mac.

Just over halfway through the band’s near three-and-a-half hour set at Rogers Place, Corgan left fans hanging on to their applause at the end of ‘Tonight, Tonight’ to lead into the show’s third act, marked by the melodic rifts shortly after ‘Cherub Rock’.

Back-to-back melters in ‘Today’ and ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ tee’d up a three-song encore featuring the only new song of the night in ‘Solara’ — a tease for fans on what could be next for the band after a night of nostalgia celebrating one of the cornerstone alt-rock groups of our generation.