Pumpkins in Sydney make the impossible, possible
- Apr 08, 2008
When I was at uni in the mid-nineties, the Smashing Pumpkins' were the soundtrack to my angst-ridden, emo life. Stereo turned up to 11, lights out, I got lost in Billy Corgan's angelic/demonic voice and guitar. I thought Corgan was a genius, like a mad scientist. I was fascinated by stories of the making of their album Siamese Dream and the drug issues that seemed destined to plague the band forever. To this day, Disarm is one of the most beautiful and saddest rock songs ever made. And I dreamed that one day, I would see them live (before any of them OD'ed or something).
So, I had high expectations. Massively high. And despite other reviews you might read on the interwebs, Billy and the band absolutely smashed it - a perfect balance between their older, melodic material and their newer, harder stuff.
Opening with Today is a great start - it sets a great tone to the rest of the gig. Their rendition of Tonight Tonight is perfect, what I love about this song is how tender AND hard it sounds - kind of epitomises the Pumpkins' sound generally. Corgan's skirt is very nice, although I'm not sure I would personally go with a long, frilly silver number. He can carry it off, whereas some others might not be able to.
Jimmy Chamberlain is incredible. He looks healthier and bigger, and pounds those drums like his life depends on it.
I don't know about anyone else but I found the D'Arcy and James I'ha replacements...interesting. Is it just me or did they get replaced with lookalikes? Very talented lookalikes mind you... and Ginger, she's HOT. It's kind of weird - but then again, Corgan's not the straightest lace in the shoe - I give you the frilly skirt.
Corgan has an undeniable power over the crowd. When he smiles, everyone bathes in it. For me, it feels like I'm a kid again, getting rare approval from a distant but brilliant genius father. Wow, that sounds like a giant wank, but... I feel valued to be there. His voice...the guitar... I feel like I'm there again.
Corgan rips out an acoustic version of 1979 and the crowd hushes, waiting to be invited to sing their hearts out. And they do. Under the spotlight he looks blissful as his eyes close, a small smile on his face, singing, 'And we don't know/Just where our bones will rest/To dust I guess...' What a beautiful dedication to the fans.
Later, I compare the beauty of that track to the up-tempo, rolling, intense rendition of Bullet with Butterfly Wings - such different songs, both equally so powerful. Pumpkins' fans go absolutely nuts, screaming, 'Despite all my rage/I am still just a rat in a cage' back at Corgan and the band. It must be hard for a band NOT to feel like gods on stage.
The best bit for me is the last 10 minutes or so before encore. Corgan just lets rip, it sounds like a gigantic jam session in the world's biggest open-air garage. How can sounds like that come from a guitar and a human being? I can't stop shaking my head. And the encore is brilliant, covering The Church's Reptile and ending with Cherub Rock.
My only disappointment is they don't play Disarm or Bodies. But that's nothing...I saw one of the greatest bands ever, and remembered things from my childhood and teenage years that I thought I'd long forgotten. And when Corgan came out to thank the crowd, I think to myself, if I die tomorrow I'm totally ok with that.
Post-script: To the silly girl who kept wanting to jump the barricade next to me: If you're reading this, you should know that you were very annoying and the sound of your whiny, monotonous voice is, in my memory, now mingled with Corgan's voice. Thanks heaps. Learn some festival etiquette FFS!
