Last night, the Smashing Pumpkins began their highly publicized Shiny and Oh So Bright reunion tour in Glendale, Arizona, reuniting original members Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin alongside longtime touring guitarist Jeff Schroeder, keyboardist Katie Cole, and bassist Jack Bates in place of original bassist D’arcy Wretzky.
The buzz surrounding the reunion began in earnest in February, when the band launched an official countdown clock, with many speculating that the clock was counting down to the new tour’s announcement. Though much of that ensuing week was marred by (still more) ugly back-and-forth between Billy and D’arcy, who informed a number of outlets that she was purposefully excluded from the reunion (a claim that Corgan vehemently denied), the band eventually announced its “Shiny And Oh So Bright” reunion tour.
The ensuing months were no less rocky, as the public Corgan/Wretzky feud continued, and Billy took flack for some controversial political statements, but on Thursday night, the band finally got to put the drama aside and return to the music.
After beginning the show with early favorites like “Disarm”, “Rocket”, “Siva”, and “Rhinoceros”. The band’s go-to cover of David Bowie‘s “Space Oddity” followed, as Billy Corgan channeled the late rock icon from a raised platform in a shimmering, Ziggy Stardust-style cloak. After a few more favorites and live staples including “Drown”, “Zero”, “The Everlasting Gaze”, “Stand Inside Your Love”, “Thirty-Three”, “Eye”, and “Soma”, the band dusted off Pisces Iscariot rarity “Blew Away” for the first time since 2000.
A pair of odes to the fairer sex came next with “For Martha” and “To Sheila” followed by “Mayonnaise” and “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans”. Next, the band delivered their fan-favorite acoustic rendition of Fleetwood Mac‘s “Landslide”, originally recorded by the band as a B-side for “Disarm” in 1994. Another favorite, “Tonight, Tonight” followed.
From there, the band had a surprise in store, moving into their live debut of Led Zeppelin opus “Stairway To Heaven”. Another run of hits followed with “Cherub Rock”, “1979”, and “Ava Adore”, followed by the band’s first “Try, Try, Try” since 2012 and their first “The Beginning Is the End Is The Beginning” since 2012. Finally, the set wrapped up with “Hummer”, “Today”, “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”, and “Muzzle”.
For their encore, the band returned to introduce their recently-released single, “Solara“, to the stage for the first time, before rounding out their performance with their first-ever performance of “Baby Mine” from classic Disney cartoon, Dumbo.
You can watch fan-shot videos from the Smashing Pumpkins’ reunion tour opener below:
The Shiny and Oh So Bright tour contines in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Saturday, July 14th. For a full list of upcoming dates, head here.
Setlist: Smashing Pumpkins | Gila River Arena | Glendale, AZ | 7/12/18
Set: Disarm, Rocket, Siva, Rhinoceros, Space Oddity*, Drown, Zero, The Everlasting Gaze, Stand Inside Your Love, Thirty-Three, Eye, Soma, Blew Away^, For Martha, To Sheila, Mayonaise, Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, Landslide**, Tonight, Tonight, Stairway to Heaven^^, Cherub Rock, 1979, Ava Adore, Try, Try, Try&, The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning%, Hummer, Today, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Muzzle
Encore: Solara, Baby Mine#
Notes: *David Bowie cover; ^First performance since 2000; **Fleetwood Mac cover; ^^Led Zeppelin cover, live debut; &First performance since 2008; %First performance since 2012; #From Disney’s Dumbo, live debut