For Smashing Pumpkins the world is still a vampire

The Lucca Summer Festival hosted the Smashing Pumpkins concert last night in Piazza Napoleone, their only Italian performance scheduled for 2024: the band returns to Italy five years after their performance at “Firenze Rock” on June 13, 2019 and does so with an amazing concert.

The tour was named “The World Is A Vampire” – like the opening of one of their most famous songs, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”, and started on June 7th in Birmingham, passing through France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Holland, Belgium, Poland and the Czech Republic, with numerous sold-outs, before arriving in Lucca and giving the band a new “sold-out” in Piazza Napoleone. The European tour will end on July 16th with the show in Greece, before starting again on July 29th in North America with more than thirty dates until September 28th.
On stage are the three original members of the band: Billy Corgan (lead vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards), James Iha (guitar, bass and backing vocals) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums and percussion), joined by the Australian Katie Cole (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals and other instruments) and Jack Bates (bass), who joined the band in 2015, and Kiki Wong (guitar), making her debut on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins and who is known as an influencer off stage.

Opening act Tom Morello: the guitarist formerly with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave had the task of warming up the atmosphere starting at 8:30 p.m., attracting the attention of those present thanks to a powerful set that lasted for more than an hour. A small sketch during the performance when a section of the audience recognized the “Mago Forest” in the stands, with the chants and the attention that for a few minutes turned towards the stands.

It’s a few minutes to 10 pm and Smashing hasn’t yet appeared in front of the audience; on stage there are only a few white lights while a recorded section of “Atum” starts from the speakers, an imposing intro to the show. The musicians arrive on stage one by one, interacting immediately with the audience.

Just enough time to grab the instruments and the guitar strings explode into “The Everlasting Gaze”, with the lights coloring the whole stage green.

It was the opening track of the album “Machina/The Machines of God”, released in 2000, the year in which the Smashing Pumpkins decided to split up, to return to activity in 2005. Without interruption comes the next “Doomsday Clock”. This song also opened a Smashing Pumpkins album, “Zeitgeist” in 2007. Some people also remember the song in the soundtrack of the film “Transformers” by Michael Bay (2007). The lights now turn red and the audience in the front rows seems not to want to stop between dancing and jumping, with their arms raised to follow the rhythm that the band is grinding out without stopping. .

The tension doesn’t let up and here’s a surprise for those present (at least for those who didn’t want to see the tour setlist). It’s a cover, very tight, that provokes a new ovation. It’s “Zoo Station”, from the album “Acthung Baby” by U2 (1991 album, the seventh in their discography), obviously pumpkinized as required. At the end, an appreciated drum solo by Chamberlin.

The first notes of “Today” start and the audience is already going wild. It comes from the second album “Siamese Dream” released by the band in 1993, it was also a single that contributed to the spread of the band’s music and also the first song composed by Corgan for that album. Another change of guitar for Corgan and Wong and the arpeggio of “Thru the Eyes of Ruby” starts
from “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness”, the band’s third album from 1995 and their first double album.

The studio version is remembered because it recorded about seventy guitar tracks. Even live there is a real wall of guitars, pure energy and Corgan’s voice supported by the choirs of the generous audience. Beautiful and dreamy the ending with the instruments that intertwine until the natural closure.

The round of notes of “Spellbinding” begins, the second single from the project “ATUM”, also known for being used in the closing credits of the Netflix series “Murder Mystery 2”. During this performance, Corgan neglects the guitar to emphasize the words of the song with hand gestures, closing his eyes to try to concentrate properly.
Bill and James turn to face Jimmy to lip-sync the start of the pulsating “Tonight, Tonight,” again from “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” in a version that travels down your spine.

It was the single that helped push the album to the first place on the American Billboard charts. Also remembered is the beautiful video that became a hit on YouTube and collected several awards. The song collected a Grammy Award. On stage the three Smashing. Katie Cole on acoustic guitar and the bassist supporting them. The audience sings, happy, with the first tears that fall to wet the historic floor of the square.
The rest of the band returns to launch a cutting version of “That Which Animates the Spirit”. It is one of the many songs played on this tour taken from the concept album “ATUM: A Rock Opera in Three Acts”, the twelfth and final album by the Smashing Pumpkins, consisting of 33 songs (11 for each album) and released in three parts between 2022 and 2023. Billy’s voice intersects masterfully with that of Katie Cole and there is room for the solos of Kiki Wong, who creates a show in herself communicating with poses and glances with the audience.

Another unmistakable intro is that of “Ava Adore”, which comes from the 1998 album “Adore”. A song that makes me particularly happy and excited with memories of a period that will never return. Anyway… Corgan doesn’t hold back, he focuses only on the singing and gives himself to the spectators; microphone in hand, he moves away from his usual central position, dances and sings it with his audience. He is in great shape and it shows, among other things the band’s stay in Lucca was very positive: the musicians shout the name of the city several times and from some photos on social media we learn that the day before the band spent a relaxing evening, inside a club in the historic center, between food and European matches on the screen (it seems that France’s victory was appreciated among them)…

Everything else in the past with the sweet “Disarm”, which comes straight from “Siamese Dream” and which brings to mind that beautiful black and white video that was constantly shown on MTV. Corgan plays the acoustic guitar (also followed by Cole) and the audience sings all the words in chorus. A moment of choral emotion, infinite shivers for a song that always leaves its mark also thanks to the orchestral bases that accompany it, making it very faithful to the original.

Back to “ATUM” and Corgan initially hands the mic to Katie Cole for “Springtime”.

In my opinion the song is based on the chord progression taken from “Animals Instinct” by The Cranberries, perhaps a tribute from the author? A new return to the grooves of “Siamese Dream” and we go with “Mayonaise”, written by Corgan and Iha who intertwine smiles and guitars on stage before leaving room for the rest of the band. Rolling Stone also judged it the band’s best song. For those curious, Netflix also had a hand in this song, giving it a recent revival by using it in the series entitled “Beef”.
The intro to “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” is entrusted to Chamberlin’s drums, who hits hard on the skins of his double bass drum kit. For the audience, a new opportunity to sing it in chorus with the tireless Billy, who would happily mosh it along with all of them. The song comes from “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” and at the time collected a Grammy Award.
Another energetic bath for the next Empires, followed by Beguiled (both from the “ATUM” project), with the audience just not wanting to stay still.

The unmistakable rhythm of the long-awaited “1979”, a classic from “Mellon…”, gives the audience a new chance to sing it in chorus. We continue with Rhinoceros from “Gish”, the band’s first album from 1991, which was the best-selling indie album, and immediately after Jellybelly (from “Mellon Collie” from 1995) brings the rhythms back to almost obsessive levels.
A pounding and sustained rhythm, almost inspired by U2’s recent stuff, introduces the long “Gossame”r, an outtake from the album “Zetigeist”, played live by the band in the documentary film “If All Goes Wrong” recorded in 2007.

Hypnotic and dreamlike, the instrumental interlude, based on the guitar and a circular drumming by the drummer, followed by an explosive guitar solo performed by Corgan. The final chords of “The Spaniards”, a song recorded in 2017 by Billy Corgan, were inserted at the end. The classic moment of the band’s introduction arrives, which anticipates the finale, entrusted to two other “tough” songs. There is immediately the powerful “Cherub Rock”, the first single from the second album “Siamese Dream” of 1993. .
The finale, as per tradition on this tour, is reserved for “Zero”, from the 1995 album “Mellon Collie”, introduced by a famous quote, the band hints at the intro to “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz, almost as if to announce the artist’s concert at the Lucca Summer Festival on July 12.

A memorable concert by the Smashing Pumpkins last night in Lucca. The band relies essentially on the power of their music, without too many frills or special effects, just a few lights to underline the mood of their songs. The energy between the musicians is intact and the spirit that hovers between the three historic members of the band gives hope for their future.

The audience stoically faced a hot evening, gathering fans of all ages, with the older ones trying to mosh their legs, in complete safety given the presence of their bellies to cushion the blows. Many choruses, many arms raised to the sky and even some moments of emotion, between hugs and knowing looks from those who ‘felt’ those songs inside.