The Smashing Pumpkins kicked off their Rats in a Cage Tour Wednesday night (9/30) in Ohio with an epic 32-song setlist celebrating Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness while digging deep into the veteran band’s catalog.
As advertised the first set at Value City Arena in Columbus was completely devoted to the glorious 1995 double album whose 30th anniversary continues to roll on.
The second set was a complete show in itself filled with rarities, tunes that hadn't been performed in ages, and even a live debut from the 2023's, ATUM: A Rock Opera in Three Acts.
The ever-artistic and creative Billy Corgan didn't just play the hits off Mellon Collie, of which there are many, immediately after opening the show with two of the hit singles, he and the band gave love to the songs the fans who listen to the entire album know well: “Cupid de Locke,” “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans,” “Jellybelly” and “Bodies.”
When the Pumpkins dropped the double album in October of '95, they were already one of the biggest alternative-rock bands in the world. Their 1991 debut Gish put them on the map, but 1993’s Siamese Dream turned them into MTV stars thanks to "Today," “Cherub Rock,” and “Disarm.” Best of all, live they rocked thanks to the dual guitar attack.
The 1994 B-sides collection Pisces Iscariot was a perfect place holder starring their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide." And it gave Billy time to wrote dozens of new songs for what became their magnus opus.
Mellon Collie debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling a quarter million albums in its first week, and eventually went 10x platinum in the US alone.
Few in the alt/grunge/modern rock world had the chutzpah to produce a double album with such dynamics, and fewer still could have enough songs to make it a commercial success.
What songs? “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” “1979,” “Zero,” “Tonight, Tonight” and “Thirty-Three" for starters. Most bands would die for five hit songs across their career. Billy created more than five in one offering.
What's special about The Rats in the Cage Tour is now to hear those songs live, decades later, alongside a dozen or so other tunes from that album, you'll see it was alt rock's Physical Graffiti. But back then no one was allowed to say that.
The current touring lineup brings three of the four musicians who cut the record 31 years ago (Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin), joined by guitarist Kiki Wong and bassist Jack Bates.
Mellon Collie earned seven Grammy nominations at the 1997 ceremony, including Album of the Year, while “1979” was nominated for Record of the Year and “Tonight, Tonight” for Best Music Video.
The Pumpkins took home their first Grammy when “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” won for Best Hard Rock Performance. Album of the Year went to Celine Dion. And Record of the Year was presented to Eric Clapton for "Change The World" which also beat out Alanis' "Ironic."
Columbus got to be the first to enjoy a wide assortment of songs that hadn't been heard in a dozen years or more.
“Cupid de Locke” returned for the first time since 2008, ending an 18-year absence from Pumpkins setlists.
“Galapogos” was also played for the first time since 2008. Its return fit the tour’s deeper dive into Mellon Collie, giving one of the album’s more introspective songs its first stage appearance in nearly two decades.
“Fuck You (An Ode to No One)” came back for the first time since 2007, a gap of 19 years. One of the nastier, heavier songs on Mellon Collie, that gave people on Twitter reason to call the show metal.
“By Starlight” had not been performed since 2010. The title track “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” the album’s piano instrumental, was performed for the first time since 2018, beautifully placed to drop the curtain on the first set.
“Le Deux Machina” was the night’s biggest bust-out, returning for the first time since 2000. The Machina II instrumental had only been performed once before.
The unreleased “As Rome Burns” was played for the first time since 2010 after sparingly performed in '08 and '10.
If that wasn't enough, then there were the live debuts. “Sojourner,” from their rock opera ATUM, finally made it to the stage more than three years after its release.
And one no one saw coming: “Jesus Is the Sun” the Gish-era tune that dates back to 1991 but had apparently never been performed live by the band before according to our records.
A 35-year-old deep cut about being a Christian? Recently Billy said on his incredible podcast with Michael Sweet (from the Christian metal band Stryper) that rockers will sing about everything except their faith.
It'd be interesting to learn if that conversation was what inspired that song selection.
The band is in Boston tonight, Baltimore tomorrow, and Brooklyn on Sunday.
Smashing Pumpkins The Rats in a Cage Tour
OCTOBER
2 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
3 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
6 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
7 – Hamilton, ON @ TD Coliseum
9 – Montréal, QC @ Centre Bell
11 – Madison, WI @ Kohl Center
13 – Saint Paul, MN @ Grand Casino Arena
14 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
16 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
17 – Jacksonville, FL @ VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
18 – Tampa, FL @ Benchmark International Arena
20 – Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
22 – Nashville, TN @ The Truth
24 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
25 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
27 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center
30 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
NOVEMBER
1 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
3 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
5 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
6 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
8 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Mortgage Matchup Center
12 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
14 – Huntington Beach, CA @ Darker Waves
