Smashing Pumpkins carving musical feast at Fox Wednesday
Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan at Chicago Theatre; photo by Jeff Loder
It’s anyone’s guess what Smashing Pumpkins’ fans will hear Wednesday night at the Fox Theatre when the rock band brings its reunion tour here.
The set lists changes nightly, making the evening totally unpredictable.
Tickets are $43-$103, available through MetroTix and at the box office.
Here are a few recent set lists.
Nov. 19, Chicago Theatre
“Ava Adore”
“Cupid De Locke”
“1979″
“Owata”
“Sunkissed”
“Soma”
“Cherub Rock
“Zero”
“Bodies”
“Crestfallen”
“I of the Mourning”
“A Song for a Son”
“Landslide”
“Disarm”
“MCIS Theme”
“Galapogos”
“Gossamer”
“As Rome Burns”
“The Sounds of Silence”
“The March Hare”/ “Suffer”
“Age of Innocence”
Encore
“That’s the Way”
“I Am One Pt. 2″
Nov. 18, Chicago Theatre
“Roctopus”
“Everybody Come Clap”
“Tarantula”
“G.L.O.W.”
“Siva”
“Mayonnaise”
“Tonight, Tonight”
“Speed Kills”
“Transformer”
“Superchrist”
“United States”
“Once Upon a Time”
“The Crux”
“The Rose March”
“Today”
“Bullet With Butterfly Wings”
“The Beginning is the End”
“Heavy Metal Machine”
“Glass”
“Set the Controls”
Encore
“We Only Out at Night”
“Everything is Beautiful”
Nov. 16, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.
“I Am One Pt. 2″
“Soma”
“Tarantula”
“G.L.O.W.”
“I of the Mourning”
“Mayonnaise”
“Tonight, Tonight”
“A Song for a Son”
“Superchrist”
“United States”
“99 Floors”
“Owata”
“Landslide”
“Disarm”
“Mellon Collin and the Infinite Sadness”
“Today”
“Cherub Rock”
“Zero”
“Bodies”
“Gossamer”
“The Sounds of Silence”
“Heavy Metal Machine”
“Glass”
Encore
“Set the Controls of the Heart of the Sun”
Kevin C. Johnson has covered the St. Louis' music and nightlife scene for the past decade. 
A fair mix of good ones in there, that’s all I ask for. Hopefully we catch Billy on a “good” night. Been waiting to see them since 1992.
It will probrably resemble the Connecticut concert since that wasn’t a 2 night show.
Chicago Theatre was part of there 2 night shows…
The five-week run will feature several two night runs in a handful of cities where the Pumpkins promise to play two unique sets with no songs overlapping either night (with night one called “Black Sunshine” and the second night called “White Crosses”)
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/09/24/smashing-pumpkins-announce-20th-anniversary-tour/
Unfortunately, the show was bad. I didn’t necessarily need to hear their hits, but they could have at least played stuff from their giant catalog. Instead, Billy went on his egotistical way and played obscure stuff along with a never ending rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls to the Heart of the Sun”. Smashing Pumpkins is my favorite band, but I will never go to another one of their shows.
Whatever. It was a good show. Entertaining. Corgan wasn’t an egotistical bastard — he even said that he wasn’t going to talk much because some folks complained before. Sure, the Floyd was a little esoteric, but the band still played damn good music. I thought it was a decent combo of hits, new things and experiments. If you needed more of the singles, oh well.
I think they would have been better served in another venue, though. The Fox, while beautiful, just doesn’t lend itself to getting your groove on. People either sit down or yell at you to sit down.