Infinite Madness
Night Times - November 1996
(Thanks to FraPeters@aol.com)
Incorrectly billed in some local newspapers as "Buffalo Tom," Grant Lee Buffalo opened for a smaller crowd that would be expected to proceed the Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness tour. With original openers, Garbage, off the bills, and originally drummer Jimmy Chamberlin ousted for drugs after the overdose death of keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin; the hysterical frenzy for this double bill quieted down to mere, cool enthusiasm.
And so, a garbage-free, Buffalo -confused gig opened the October 2nd show, with half of the Kiel Center crowd (decked in silver pants and "Zero" T's, and looking more like different eras of Corgan himself), barely noticing the opening act as they stood outside in line for beer wristbands. Grant Lee Buffalo put on a masterful, sweet, but sedate performance to the few that did bother to pay attention. Though the band proved more adventurous in the direction of distortion that their 1995 radio hit, "Mockingbird," GLB's slow rhythms lulled the crowd rather than building excitement.
The Smashing Pumpkins ascended the stage and Billy Corgan tore into all the big hits such as "Zero," and "Cherub Rock," with a cold sloppy vocal delivery--talking and rushing through songs. The first toy piano notes of the Pumpkins most famous suicide anthem, "Today," aroused the crowd eager to share in that deep joy of self pity for which the Pumpkins are best known. But these tear-your-heart-out, painfully sung lyrics were lost, as Corgan rapped the words out speedily. The audience looked around, at first amused, thinking: Oh! He must be joking! Of course, he will start this song over again, the right way! He did not.
Behind the band rested the base of an enormous rocket, doubling as a light show control tower and video screen; with expanding panels to backdrop clips of their video, "Tonight, Tonight," Planet of the apes scenes, piped in circus music, and a constant run of psychedelic images. New drummer, Matt Walker (formerly from Filter) held up a respectively strong anchor to Iha's fuzz and Corgan's crunchy vocals, which gradually improved as the show went on and climaxed at the passionate confession of "Disarm."
In Billy's fairly-new-found baldness, trademark "Zero" and silver regalia, Corgan predictably pulled a few surprises beyond the gloriousness of the set itself, but entertained nonetheless. Hearing as many 'D'Arcy I love you!'s as calls to Billy from the audience, The Smashing Pumpkins, unlike most bands, prove that they are not just their frontman; with D'Arcy and James holding their positions on either side of Corgan as subdued bookends of coolness.
The cold start of the night wound up to be one of the hottest ends, and three encores finished the evening: The first, a big disco party to "1979" with guest musicians, Jimmy and Dennis of the Frogs (dressed in green glittery garb with wings, and the most insane band to grace the Matador label), and dancers invited from the audience. Billy Corgan explained the new tradition, calling out, "Who will be tonight's freaks? I mean, participants?! There are only two rules: Don't touch us, and don't touch our shit! Now lets all get crazy and dance!"
Normally , any band leaning on audience involvement in a concert is an immediate turn-off, but this song brought the crowd of thousands together into one funky groove. After leaving the stage for a break, Billy returned saying, "We appreciate you coming so much, it's hard to put into words what it means to us. We're glad you stuck around to the very end. Here's an Egyptian song..." which led into an emotionally overpowering rendition of the new album's "Muzzle," taking away our breath with every chorus of "and I knew" and "the silence of the world."
Wishing they'd ended the show at this high point; the Pumpkins came back one last time for a much darker, rambling, "Space Hambone Boogie," a Grateful-Deadish 'space' with ad-libbed lyrics on God and right and wrong and OJ Simpson, teamed with odd moments of the Gish album. In keeping with the silly banter that filled the evening, Corgan wished all "a fond farewell, sayonara, be happy, and my your head be filled with cabbage and your school be closed tomorrow. Bye-Bye!" the lights dimmed, Iha, D'Arcy and Matt sauntered off stage, and Billy played a piano solo in darkness as we watched films of children dancing along a beach. A very full show, the audience sifted slowly out of the Kiel in true Smashing Pumpkins spirit, feeling spacy, fuzzed-out, satisfied, and very Mellon Collie.