With a summer of epic shows being played in and around Chicago, you can have shows that you want to see that get lost in the shuffle. For the Smashing Pumpkins, this was a monumental tour and one that people did not forget about.  Fans gobbled up the tickets for the first night in minutes resulting in a second night being added. Being in the middle of the tour, Billy and Co. were going to be in full stride and ready to bring a pair of memorable shows to the loyal and faithful in Chicago.

Metric was brought along on this tour and kicking off both nights with rousing sets of fan favorites and music from their forthcoming album. Emily Haines infectious voice caught fans attention and their set helped usher in the Smashing Pumpkins each night in a rousing manner.

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The Smashing Pumpkins knew this was a big moment for them in their careers. Spanning 30 years with their ups and downs throughout, their story has been a wild one.  These 2 hometown shows were very important to fans in Chicago and that went for the band as well. Throughout the show you could see Billy, Jimmy, and James were glad to be back together and playing music for the masses. During both shows Billy and Co. mentioned how much they were glad to be back in Chicago and performing at the United Center after all these years.

The one thing that left so many wanting more was the fact that it was their HOMETOWN shows and there were no surprises, deep cuts, or tour debuts. Many were expecting SP to throw a great party for these shows that varied from the rest of the tour.  What everyone ended up getting, you can’t be upset about though. These shows were well planned out and intricate to say the least.  A ton of production went into making this tour what it is.  It was a visual masterpiece of their history. The identical sets spanned their entire discography with some covers that they love and it kept fans singing along throughout. And fans were treated to the new song “Solara” during the encore.  A song that people had mixed feelings about when it first came out, but is now becoming much more appreciated as time goes on.

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In the end, these shows were fantastic.  The band fired on all cylinders and proved that they are still relevant in a musical landscape that has been twisted and molded into something way different from when their journey as a band began. We will be seeing more of them in the future.

Metric Setlist:

1. Love You Back > 2. Risk > 3. Dressed to Suppress > 4. Breathing Underwater > 5. Art of Doubt > 6. Gold Gun Girls > 7. Now or Never Now > 8. Dark Saturday > 9. Help I’m Alive

Smashing Pumpkins Setlist:

1. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness > 2. Disarm > 3. Rocket > 4. Siva > 5. Rhinoceros > 6. Space Oddity (David Bowie cover) > 7. Drown > {Zero Speech Interlude} > 8. Zero > 9. The Everlasting Gaze > 10. Stand Inside Your Love > 11. Thirty-Three > 12. Eye > 13. Soma > {Mark McGrath Vaudeville Interlude #1} > 14. Blew Away > 15. For Martha > 16. To Sheila > 17. Mayonaise > 18. Porcelina of  the Vast Oceans > 19. Landslide (Fleetwood Mac cover) > 20. Tonight, Tonight > 21. Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin cover) > 22. Cherub Rock > {Mark McGrath Vaudeville Interlude #2} > 23. 1979 > 24. Ava Adore > 25. Try, Try, Try > 26. The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning > 27. Hummer > 28. Today > 29. Bullet With Butterfly Wings > 30. Muzzle

Encore:

31. Solara > 32. Baby Mine (Betty Noyes cover)