Corgan returns to scene of the crime, wows Columbus

No one grumbled about getting a refund this time.  A year and a half after the misunderstood Special Acoustic Halloween Show (after which some of the frattier audience members complained about wanting their money back), the Pumpkins returned to Columbus with a smaller lineup, a set of new songs, and practically blew the doors off the Newport Music Hall.

This has been a very different Smashing Pumpkins tour so far.  At the conclusion of the last proper tour, Billy Corgan promised (or threatened, depending on your perspective) no more old songs, that everything from there on out would be forward-thinking new material.

A look at the singles-heavy setlist would lead many of us to think that Billy has abandoned this line of thinking, that after years of doing things his way he’s finally caved to critical pressure to just be a nostalgia act.  But along with the standard high-energy 2+ hour sets, Corgan’s efforts to cater directly to us, the devoted (or just to tell it like it is: crazy) fans who take his every tweet, piece of banter, and ustream comment personally, paint a decidedly different picture.

Not that the interaction has been without its rough patches.  At the start of last night’s soundcheck, Billy asked if we had been waiting outside.  Upon hearing that one group of fans had been camping out since 7 AM, his reaction seemed to be one of awkward bewilderment, seemingly unable to relate to someone sitting outside a Chipotle for 11 hours just for an extremely intimate half-hour set with their favorite band.

But the tendency is always to over-analyze minor comments and reactions, and for the rest of the set he was self-deprecating and jovial, joking with his bandmates like they were all old friends.  At one point Billy, unable to find the lyric sheet for the song he wanted to play next, asked the audience if we had any questions for the band.  Having been warned by event staff before being ushered in about making annoying comments and of course having heard about the previous night’s abrupt ending, nobody said a word.  After a beat, Billy said “good”, but got immediately chastised by Jeff, who explained that most likely we were afraid he would kick us out.  Billy laughed and said he didn’t kick anyone out, he kicked himself out (by leaving the stage), but Jeff continued needling Billy.  “Do you want me to kick them out again,” Billy jokingly asked Jeff.  Jeff responded in the affirmative, saying he was hungry and kicking off some good-natured ribbing of Mike Byrne’s McDonalds habit and Nicole’s unwillingness to have a beer during lunch on a “work day”.

The entirety of what was referred to as the “soundcheck party” can’t really be described.  It was a totally unique experience that I highly recommend to anyone interested in new material and willing to spend an afternoon outside in the heat or rain.  It wasn’t a real soundcheck, as that was done before we entered, it was more like being at a rehearsal, with Billy often directing Mike when it was his turn to start a particular song instead of Billy’s.

It’s hard to get a real sense of the songs while standing in the front of an empty auditorium with the vocals sometimes lost admist a wall of guitars reverberating throughout the room, but I’ll focus on a song unheard as of yet by anyone else, “Zen Baby”.  Billy asked Jeff if the title sounded like the name of a cult, and then the band broke out a chugging guitar and drum riff, reminiscent of the rhythm of Razor but with more energy.  At times it seemed to channel early 80′s punk, and it was probably the most well-received by the crowd.  After finishing the song, Billy knowingly smiled at Nicole and said “they really liked that one”, as if he knew all along that we would.

After a bite to eat, my girlfriend and I made our way to the balcony to get a different perspective on a Pumpkins show.  I witnessed a Machina show from the front rail, and to be honest I didn’t enjoy being pressed against a metal rail for two and a half hours.  Plus, being perched above the crowd would let me really get a sense of how the crowd would react to the new songs.

I’m like most of you in that I’ve heard Bullet and Today live enough times and would rather hear them play Apathy’s Last Kiss or Pisces Iscariot straight through or something equally obscure.  Normally I make an effort to not let the written setlist give me preconceived notions, but this time I must admit I was a bit disappointed.  It’s the first time that our fictional $100 challenge had no winners, because there were no “new” old songs.

The energy of the band and the crowd threw any preconceived notions out the window.  From the opening chords of Astral Planes, the crowd was transfixed.  As much as the Halloween show was ruined for me by the hostile crowd, this show was lifted up by an absolutely amazing audience.  A Song for a Son was recognized and cheered-for by approximately half the attendees.  As Rome Burns sent the floor into a frenzy, and a mosh pit formed not only during the expected hits but also during Owata.  The only real break in the energy was during the slower Eye, but even then there were no iPhones taken out or disinterested catcalls.  Mixing the new songs in with the hits in the way they did worked perfectly, with the energy carrying through them even if they weren’t recognized sing-alongs.

At this point, encores are expected during every concert.  If the house lights don’t come up, the band isn’t done.  But while the crowd started to thin out during the Halloween encore break, this audience’s screaming was deafening.  Night and day isn’t enough to describe the dichotomy between this concert and 2008.

I’m sure a lot of the difference was the frequency and number of hits.  I’m also sure that at least some of the difference was due to the makeup of this crowd.  With The Ohio State University out for the summer, there was quite a large contingency of middle- and high-school age kids, to the point where Billy noticed it from the stage.

Being a Smashing Pumpkins fan can be trying sometimes, even for the most hardcore of the hardcore.  Standing in line, we withstood the usual “they aren’t the real Pumpkins” comments from passers-by.  Critics give the band little respect, and the usual reaction to “I’m a Pumpkins fan” is “Oh yeah?  I loved Siamese Dream but everything after that was crap”.  Experiences like this, with an intimate mini-concert for dedicated concertgoers, a live chat for those following along from home, and a blistering concert for those in attendance, are what make it worthwhile.