It was like 1998 all over again at Jones Beach Theater last Friday, July 31st, as The Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson made a stop at the famous shorefront venue on Long Island. No doubt an interesting pairing of bands, this was one of the more intriguing 90’s-nostalgia tours of the summer, and the rowdy fans who gathered at this well-known venue in Wantagh, NY were in for one hell of a superbly fun evening.
Following the releases of their well-received latest albums, The Pale Emperor (Marilyn Manson) and Monuments to an Elegy (Smashing Pumpkins), this tour bridged together the early and late 90’s with two of the most prominent juggernauts from the “whatever” generation. The audience was full of interesting and enthusiastic concert-goers. Goths, Jocks, Metal-heads, Gen-Xers, Millennials and just plain old ordinary folks; all showing up for a dark and distorted trip down memory lane.
Up first was The Pale Emperor himself, Marilyn Manson. Opening with a handful of his post-90’s material, Manson devoured the stage with his demonically brilliant stage-presence, giving the younger Manson fans exactly what they were looking for. Then suddenly, Manson walks off-stage and returns walking on stilts for a blistering performance of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” originally made famous by The Eurythmics in 1983. However, twelve years later in 1995, Marilyn Manson burst onto the scene with his devilishly shocking cover version of the new wave classic, spawning a ferociously accelerating musical career throughout the remainder of the decade. Other fan favorites included “Angel with the Scabbed Wings,” “Lunchbox,” and “Antichrist Superstar,” at which point Manson proceeded to burn a copy of The Holy Bible; classic Manson theatrics. Also included were mega-hits “The Dope Show,” “Rock is Dead,” and of course the 1996 classic, “The Beautiful People.” Despite skipping over quite a few gems that were unfortunately missing from the set list, the show was super high-energy and ultimately left the audience satisfied.
It was roughly half-passed the nine-o-clock hour when William “Billy” Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins took the stage. Opening with a string of hits (“Cherub Rock,” “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” “Tonight, Tonight,” and “Ava Adore“), the band ripped into thunderous performances of some of their most well-known compositions. Overall, the Pumpkins’ set was a full-blown hit parade. Corgan is trying really hard nowadays to compete with Dave Grohl in the “greatest living musician from the 90’s” competition. Whether it be 1995 or 2015, it seems Billy always finds himself up against a member of Nirvana in some way, shape or form. It’s quite humorous at this point. However in the end, their set list was rather anti-climactic, and could have been much better if they had closed with their 1991 smash-hit “Today,” which was mysteriously absent. Also missing was “Rhinoceros” and their hit from 1995’s Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, “Thirty Three.” Nevertheless, the concert was otherwise jam-packed with Smashing Pumpkins classics. From early hits such as “Disarm” and “Mayonaise” and mid-90’s classics, “Zero” and “1979” to later career highlights like “The Everlasting Gaze” and “Drum & Fife,” the band was firing on all cylinders. Despite the lackluster finale, the audience left floored and thoroughly fulfilled with the nostalgic revisiting of some of the rock staples of their youth.
It certainly seems like 2015 is the year of the 90’s revival. Nostalgia tours are all the rage this summer. Whether it be The Smashing Pumpkins, Marilyn Manson, Primus, Dinosaur Jr., 311, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Veruca Salt, L7… the list goes on and on. It seems as if many of these bands from the ‘last great decade of rock n’ roll’ are finding themselves to be still very much in high-demand, ten or more years later. So, who will be the next 90’s band to crawl from out of the woodwork? Because it sure smells like 90’s spirit this summer!
– by Joseph Conlon
Setlists: Marilyn Manson and Smashing Pumpkins, Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY – 7/31/15
MARILYN MANSON
Deep Six
Disposable Teens
Mobscene
No Reflection
Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Angel With The Scabbed Wings
Personal Jesus
The Dope Show
Rock Is Dead
Lunchbox
Antichrist Superstar
The Beautiful People
Coma White
SMASHING PUMPKINS
Cherub Rock
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Tonight, Tonight
Ava Adore
Drum & Fife
One And All (We Are)
The Everlasting Gaze
Zero
The Crying Tree Of Mercury
Mayonaise
Disarm
Landslide
1979
Run2Me
Thru The Eyes Of Ruby
Stand Inside Your Love
United States