The Smashing Pumpkins at the Ogden

by Sal Christ

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One thought on the mind of every fan that walked into the Ogden Theatre on Oct. 10 to see The Smashing Pumpkins: Would the show be worth it without the rest of the founding members? Sadly, not.

After suffering through the ridiculous stage antics of opening act Fancy Space People, the crowd was ready to have their hunger sated by some classic Pumpkins’ tunes that would take everyone back to the Alternative Rock hey-day of the ’90s. The band was greeted with a crush of applause and cheers when they finally took the stage. However, what Corgan delivered was merely Smashing Pumpkins’ covers. While he still possesses that wonderful set of lungs and the ability to turn his vocal cords into some otherworldly instrument, the magic of the Pumpkins just wasn’t there – kind of like a dish that’s missing that necessary dash of salt.

While drawing on the catalogs of Gish and Siamese Dream, as well as a couple of numbers from the yet-to-be-released Oceania, the band largely ignored the songs that endeared them so much to their fans over the years. Missing were tracks, such as “Tonight, Tonight” and “1979,” as well as any gems from Machina/Machines of God. Corgan and his crew sailed through “Muzzle” and “Silverfuck” before he half-heartedly engaged the crowd in a play on the children’s poems, “Peter Piper” and “Sally Sells Seashells,” which were met with a few chuckles here and there. Still, even the performance of “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” in the encore felt like little more than a consolation prize for having stayed through the entire show.

For a band that was once captivating in their stage presence, the show at the Ogden was a letdown. The new kids held their own on guitars and drums and Corgan sounded as solid as ever, but there was no trip down memory lane – just plenty of wistful chatter about “remember when.” Sometimes bands are successful in reuniting without some of the original members or a lead singer, but The Smashing Pumpkins isn’t one of them. Sorry, Billy, but Menudo you are not.

Tags: smashing pumpkins, billy corgan

Category: The Rock