Courtney Devores of the Charlotte Observer writes of the Smashing Pumpkins’ gig in that city on Friday night:

The group doled out a few more ’90s hits in “Today” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.” But the second half of the show consisted of heavier material, notably “Heavy Metal Machine” and more sprawling psychedelia, some of which seemed lost on some concertgoers. Some were lost to their seats or cellphones during an extended finale, which ended in a surge of feedback and Corgan pummeling tympanis at stage front, prompting one woman to say, “This is more out there than the Grateful Dead.”

The last bit matches with part of my experience in Charlottesville last night: as Billy went to the kettledrums during Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”, a woman behind me whooped, “Look what I can do!”

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