Below: I can’t deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me! (L.A. Times)

Here are excerpts from three wildly similar accounts of last night’s gig at Gibson Amphitheatre.

Steve Appleford of the Los Angeles Times:

During more than two hours onstage, the new Pumpkins did deliver a healthy selection of familiar radio songs while surrounding them with more obscure material that might appeal mainly to the most adventurous and hard-core of fans. An elegant trumpet solo from Stephen Bradley soared during the understated “Once Upon a Time,” a song from the band’s 1998 “Adore” album, which Corgan joked is right when listeners “gave up on us.” …

But what mattered most on Tuesday was that Corgan was in full command of that sound, with as clear a musical vision as ever, a grungy-glammy modern rock artiste as noisy as Sonic Youth, drawing on classic rock guitar heroism. During “Eye,” Corgan’s dreamy, cascading guitar melody glided across some brooding rhythms from drummer (and founding member) Jimmy Chamberlin.

Kevin Bronson of Buzzbands.LA:

A few energetically delivered hits, heavy-metal freakouts, a 16-minute space jam, a theremin sighting, three acoustic numbers, horns-strings-and-keyboards arrangements, sing-alongs and a kazoo-serenaded finale — that’s quite a range. From a purely aesthetic point of view, it was impressive, and entertaining. Absent was the caustic banter between Corgan and the crowd that has characterized some shows on the tour.

Judging from this night, there’s nothing wrong with the Smashing Pumpkins’ tour except its packaging. By calling it an “anniversary” tour, it was weighted with implied nostalgia. “Smashing Pumpkins: Into the Third Decade” — now that would have been more like it.

Ben Wener of the Orange County Register:

It’s worth recounting the past because not once in any of those local shows – not even at good ones like SOMA or the Wiltern, where there were at least flashes of greatness – did Corgan truly live up to potential.

But he did Tuesday at now-Gibson Amphitheatre, in an idiosyncratic yet fully engaging 2½-hour set that found the seemingly contented 41-year-old celebrating his band’s 20th anniversary by bucking nostalgia and roaring like the grunge god he’s always been.

Everyone’s favorite Chicago music critic weighed in on the hometown heroes’  return to the Windy City at the Chicago Theatre today. Wait, which…what? Who? Oh, those hometown heroes.

Mr. Derogatis wrapped up his review with the following:

It was hard to avoid thinking of another group of locals that played the same venue recently, and the contrast was striking: The Smashing Pumpkins acted as if they were still the most successful band in Chicago, if not all of rock. Fall Out Boy actually is, but the musicians acted grateful just to be onstage and having so much fun, and
 they were the better band for it.

Qualifying this statement in that I don’t care for Fall Out Boy one bit, and do I think they’ll even be around in 20 years to celebrate an anniversary? Heck no, Pete Wentz will be up to his arms in Bronx Mowgli’s teen Hollywood hoodwinks on the Hills reunion by then. But while I didn’t see the show last night (seeing a much better Juliana Hatfield and a typically spastic set from my roommate at Double Door), I have no reason to dispute the veracity of the statement above.

Photo courtesy of suntimes.com. (Love the guyliner, Petey).

HU reader Davin just texted from L.A.:

“Stand Inside Your Love”!  Deviation!  After “Speed Kills”.

Tom Lynch of Chicago-based free weekly paper Newcity runs on about the Smashing Pumpkins’ still-not-sold-out Sunday night concert at the Aragon Ballroom:

Billy Corgan and company reportedly booked this “intimate” show in order to play some older, classic, fan-favorite material, mostly likely in response to the overly negative reaction the band received from their conceptual “Black Sunshine/White Crosses” shows at the Auditorium Theatre, which were filled with musical obscurities/self-indulgences and Billy himself berating the crowd for its lack of overwhelming support, which, apparently, Corgan felt the band deserved.

Lynch goes on to claim that Corgan told the earlier Chicago audience to go fuck themselves. Lynch then calls the Aragon gig a “redemption show” and even an “apology”.

Where is Lynch getting this stuff? He doesn’t cite any sources at all. I was and am under the impression that the Aragon show was added almost solely because the band has to come back through town for its rescheduled Auditorium Theatre “White Crosses” show. (Yes, one of the shows that Lynch describes as having received an “overly negative reaction” didn’t even take place.) The Frogs’ appearance aside, has anyone seen anything from the band describing other Aragon intentions or plans?

Amateur Chemist has posted some fine photos from last night’s show at the RIMAC Arena, along with a setlist and tech-heavy roundup of the show.  Just a taste:

Billy would later use his Custom model Fender Stratocaster for a knockout rendition of “Cherub Rock” that had people crowd surfing like it was the nineties. The metal tinged “Zero” was caustic as the band momentarily dropped out as the crowd screamed “Wanna Go For A Ride!” Jeff also got huge points for his off kilter Digitech Whammy solo during the song.

Dude knows his stuff.  And can take a mean picture.  He also claims they ended with Set the Controls into The March Hare.

Now that’s a new one.  Who can bear a witness?

Above: “Tonight, Tonight” yesterday in La Jolla (YouTube)

It’s the “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” host delivering coverage of the Smashing Pumpkins concert in Las Vegas:

Our contributing celebrity photographer Scott Harrison was up close front and center to capture all the action, including lead singer Billy Corgan in fine fettle.

Three days after the onsale, tickets remain for next Sunday night’s show in Chicago.

It’s really hard for me to knock Blake Hannon’s review of the second Kansas City show, but c’mon.  Can I change what I’m thankful for (friends, family, la-di-da) to the EDITORIAL REVIEW PROCESS?!

Though these nitpicky typos can’t compete with St. Louis, Hannon has published a glowing review for the St. Joseph News-Press via his blog, “Sound Scene Delivered.”  It’s also the first time I’ve read a review of the Smashing Pumpkins that references Tinkerbell.

Hannon highlights the show’s playfulness:

Corgan and Schroeder took requests and played bits of their own songs (”Geek U.S.A.”) and another iconic ’90s band (Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”), all while occasionally busting out a playful Jack Johnson-style riff they simply named “Good Times.” It went on for an unusually long time and Corgan commented how much he liked the playful back and forth with the Missouri crowd. He also admitted that his good mood may be due to the medicine he was taking to keep his cold and cough in check.

Cold meds, eh?  Is that the ‘pixie dust’ required to make a Pumpkins show magical?

Ticketmaster.com notes that the support act for the Smashing Pumpkins’ bonus/makeup date on December 7 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago will be Milwaukee’s greatest brother/brother combo folk pop/comedy rock act ever: The Frogs! According to their Wikipedia page, The Frogs are currently “on hiatus”, so consider this a major “get” for the Pumpkins.

Thanks to HU.com reader davin for the tip.

Mark Brown, popular music critic for the Rocky Mountain News of Denver, looks ahead to the Smashing Pumpkins’ just-scheduled concert in that city:

When fans talk about artists and their decline the usual names come to the top: Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Sly Stone, etc. I’d nominate Billy Corgan and the diluted version of Smashing Pumpkins he’s dragging around the country…

That’s more of the decline of a band that not long ago was playing Red Rocks and putting out modern rock classics. Corgan’s ego, never a small thing, has become a monster, especially when he’s got a captive audience hoping for hits and getting self-indulgent crap.

Fans have loudly complained from the audience, which makes Corgan more self-important. He refuses to play the songs they’ve come to hear, then mocks them for wanting to hear them.

As Brown is a local music critic in Denver, one can feel almost sure that he has not seen any show from the tour he says he is already “over”. So what evidence does he marshal to support the abandonment of what he says “was once the best band in America, fronted by one of the best songwriters”? Links to recent, freely available concert recordings that demonstrate the artist’s musical decline? What about a link to concert setlists that demonstrate Corgan’s supposed refusal to play hits? Maybe a discussion of Corgan’s possible intent with regard to his confrontational antics, in the context of a broader discussion about music? Or maybe two clips of onstage banter, from YouTube.

Moreover, Brown doesn’t remark upon the fact that the Ogden Theatre show was booked only 10 days before it will be played, necessitating the choice of a small venue. Instead, he deceptively contrasts the Ogden’s smallness with the size of Red Rocks Amphitheatre in order to bolster his claims regarding “decline”. Never mind that the only time the Smashing Pumpkins have ever played Red Rocks was in 2007. Last year! As the “diluted version”!

Amusingly, just last week Brown hailed local band The Fray’s decision to schedule a show for the even-smaller-than-the-Ogden Gothic Theatre in nearby Englewood. Brown wrote:

They can sell out Red Rocks three times over, but The Fray is going small for fans in January.

The illness that postponed one Smashing Pumpkins gig has given life to two new tour dates: after announcing this morning that they will play Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom on December 7, the Pumpkins now are saying they will hit Denver’s Ogden Theatre even sooner. Tickets for a December 5 show go on sale this Saturday.

The Smashing Pumpkins played their first show in more than eight years last night in Kansas City at the Midland Theatre.  As a transplanted native of the Show Me State, that the Pumpkins would descend on the BBQ capital of the world for two nights warmed my heart.  (Where did they eat?  Gates’ or Bryant’s?!)

Local mag The Pitch already has shots up from photog Scott Spychalski; check ‘em out here.  And infamous local reviewer Tim Finn of the Kansas City Star has already blogged his review, claiming the show was not for casual fans (despite half the setlist’s 22 songs being either singles or well-known album tracks).

Long-time Pumpkins fan and HU friend Grant Hinkle sent us his thoughts about the concert, which mirror many of the thoughts we’ve been voicing on our podcasts:

Had a great time at the show last night and the band was really tight all night.  Billy was a little sick, but despite that seemed to be in a better mood than previous shows. The audience was great about not screaming out “ZERO” or “RAT IN A CAGE” during the performances so that probably helped his mood.

Highlight of the night for me was Superchrist into United States. Jimmy is just ridiculous and the whole band was pretty high energy during those two songs.

I am a little frustrated by Billy’s stubbornness to still play Set the Controls at the end of the set. I think it would be totally fine as a psychedelic experience during the middle of the show, but by ending the set with that song it totally sucks the life out of the room. Casual fans look totally addled and disoriented during the proceedings and it really causes everyone to leave heading into the next show a little disappointed.

Instead if he had it in the middle of the set and then closed with a ‘hit’ that everyone there would enjoy, then people would be totally giddy and pumped for night two.  Just to clarify though, I liked Set the Controls being part of the set and enjoyed the performance, but just wish it was more of a transitional piece in the middle rather than the closing number of the set.

As a big fan of the Pumpkins I want to share that feeling with my friends and have that energy reciprocated from the audience, but when they close with that number it is just a real let down in momentum. Especially heading into night two.I am interested to see what the vibe is like tonight for White Crosses.

In a surprise announcement this morning, the Smashing Pumpkins added a new tour date to their 20th anniversary lineup - December 7th in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow via Ticketmaster at 10am CST (link here).

P.S. Have they fixed the sound in that place in the last five years?

Billy and the band are back in business tonight, soon to hit the stage at Midland Theatre in Kansas City for a “Black Sunshine” gig. We don’t have a liveblog on tap, but at least know that the show and tour will go on.

UPDATE!: HU reader Bruce has uploaded a dozen photos from tonight’s concert, including the one at left. I have adjusted the punctuation in the title of this post to express my excitement!

Chris Catania was set to review last night’s show, but didn’t hear about Billy Corgan’s illness before reaching the doors of Auditorium Theatre; there, he found that he wasn’t the only one:

Representing the general consensus of all the fans I spoke with, here’s what a few fans had to say.

Where are you from Donald?

Lexington, KY.

How do you feel about that note on the door?

It fucking sucks. We came all the way from Lexington, KY. We drove six hours! How can they play last night but they can’t play tonight? How sick was he? You’ve got to be kidding me! I always thought [Corgan] thought he was way bigger than he really was. He thought he was Eddie Vedder and he wasn’t.

Hopefully those who are able to return understand that the concert is rescheduled for December 8, not December 9 as the concerned Catania says (twice) in his article.