Smashing Pumpkins brought their "reunion" tour to MSG (pics, videos, setlist)
While My Bloody Valentine were playing a block away, their big fan Billy Corgan and his band Smashing Pumpkins were headlining Madison Square Garden last night (8/1) as part of their ongoing “reunion” tour. The tour has Billy back with original members James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin, and they’ve been focusing on music from the band’s first five albums, plus their new “reunion” single “Solara” and some covers. The MSG crowd was treated to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” (which the Pumpkins have a well-known version of from their ’90s period), and “Baby Mine” from Dumbo. They also made room for tons of classics in their 31-song set that went on for three hours.
As they’ve done at other shows on this tour, they showed vaudeville-style video interludes made by… Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath. We’re still not sure why Mark McGrath has anything to do with this tour, but he did tell Rolling Stone in 2013: “It’s almost like [Billy Corgan] has disdain for his material from the Nineties. Oceania was a great record, but it ain’t no Siamese Dream. He defined an era. His legacy is in place, so why would he be running from that?” So, with this “first five albums” tour, I guess you could say Billy Corgan is finally listening to Mark McGrath.
Like the rest of the tour, Canadian indie rockers Metric opened (though unfortunately we missed them). Pictures of the Pumpkins’ set are in the gallery above, and you can check out their setlist and a bunch of videos of their set below.
Tonight (8/2), the Pumpkins head to NJ’s PNC Bank Arts Center for a very special 30th anniversary show, and this one will feature guest appearances from Courtney Love, Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order), Chino Moreno (Deftones), Davey Havok (AFI), two Killers members, and this time, an actual live appearance from Mark McGrath. Tickets for tonight’s show are still available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3K5h-DxOP8&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACzEaZBIofA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfV6qTgqTao
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W61axKinXhA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVg6QoQUm30
Smashing Pumpkins tonight at the Boston Garden. Absolutely the most beautiful stage show I've ever seen. Tremendous tour, would recommend. pic.twitter.com/u6TvmE1ZGe
— Mish (@Mish_the_Dish) August 1, 2018
Smashing Pumpkins in Madison Square Garden – amazing. Played well over 3 hours but still felt super short. Also, they played the first concert I ever went to, on my 17th birthday back in *cough cough cough* pic.twitter.com/cTnFwoXjOY
— Enda Bergin (@BerginEnda) August 2, 2018
I managed to get @Jared_Carrabis out of the house on a Sox off-night for Smashing Pumpkins at MSG. They TORE IT UP on stage for over three hours and just put on one hell of a weird/awesome rock n’ roll show. Musta known the Rocket was in the building 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/XqKMd7ZJxJ
— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) August 2, 2018
Smashing Pumpkins at MSG – 8/1/18 Setlist (via)
Opening Theme
Disarm (Billy Corgan solo)
Rocket
Siva
Rhinoceros
Space Oddity (David Bowie cover)
Drown
Zero Speech Interlude
Zero
The Everlasting Gaze
Stand Inside Your Love
Thirty-Three
Eye
Soma
Mark McGrath Vaudeville Interlude #1
Blew Away
For Martha
To Sheila
Mayonaise
Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Tonight, Tonight
Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin cover)
Cherub Rock
Mark McGrath Vaudeville Interlude #2
1979
Ava Adore
Try, Try, Try
The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning
Hummer
Today
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Muzzle (preceded by a band introduction by James Iha)
Encore:
Solara (including a drum solo)
Baby Mine (Betty Noyes cover)
—
photos by Dana Distortion
