United States (w/ national anthem in middle)
Bullet Butterfly
Drown
Bring The Light
Tonight Tonight
Tarantula
Pomp and Circumstance
Glass and the Ghost Children (w/ some REALLY trippy psychedelic guitar solos by Corgan and Schroeder)
Superchrist
Doomsday Clock
1979 (solo acoustic)
Perfect (acoustic w/ Jimmy on tambourine)
Set The Ray To Jerry (f'n awesome!)
Today
Let Me Give The World To You (Machina 2 song...really a surprise)
Rock On ("hey kids rock and roll..rock on")
Heavy Metal Machine (w/ some GREAT solos by Corgan and Schroeder)
-a minute tease of REM's "The One I Love"
-back into Heavy Metal Machine
-back into Rock On

encore:
Hummer

Explosions In The Sky opened up and walked on stage at exactly 7pm. The venue had maybe 50 people in there at the time. The ticket said the show started at 7:30, so people were amazed that the opening band started so early. In fact, the main guy was talking to the crow without even using the microphone, and he wasn’t talking very loud either…yet I’m sure everyone heard him. The are from Austin. Explosions In The Sky sounded absolutely fantastic. They, apparently, are an instrumental band. They did not stop playing at all, and each “song” blended into the next one. They sounded a lot like one of my favorite bands, called National Skyline. As far as a more mainstream reference, it was like Radiohead‘s OK Computer, with more heavy guitar progression…and no vocals. I was quite impressed and I had chills many times from the swaying, psychedelic, progressive guitar sounds. There are 4 people in the band, and for most of the show, there were 3 people on guitar…no bass. One guy did play a bass for a little bit, but mostly it was 3 guitars playing different melodies. The lights were also amazing, which was a surprise since most unheard of opening bands don’t have a light show. Explosions In The Sky was easily one of the best Smashing Pumpkins opening bands I’ve heard. They stopped playing at 7:40pm

The lights went out at 8:13pm and there was music playing from a band called “The Goblins”, known for their soundtracks to obscure horror films. The song that started playing was from one of my favorite horror films, called Suspiria, directed by Dario Argento. After a minute of this creepy sounding music, the Pumpkins walk out on stage. Dressed in their usual attire, Billy had his blue and black striped socks and a long sleeved blue and black striped shirt underneath his all white jumpsuit. Ginger was a lot smaller than I imagined, and much more cute than her pictures. Lisa didn’t come out for a few songs. Jeff and Jimmy looked normal. Jimmy looked happy and healthy.

They kicked it off with United States, as they have many times so far this tour. The speed was at usual Pumpkins live speed…maybe a full step or two faster than the album…this made the drumming even more phenomenal sounding! Jimmy was a blur behind the drum set as he played “the shuffle” perfectly. The sound quality was amongst the best I’ve ever heard from them. Perfectly mixed, with the vocals being the last thing you hear. This was my 8th Pumpkins show, and I had a 2nd row seat. The lights were more than fantastic. The series of triangular shaped spaceship looking light fixtures went off and nearly blinded me. It was the best light set up I’ve ever seen from the Pumpkins…easily.

In the middle of United States, Corgan went off on the guitar psychedelics…and he went into the National Anthem, just like Hendrix did back at Woodstock (and Corgan also did this at the Live 8 Concert this year). It was awesome!

United States ended and next was Bullet w/ Butterfly Wings. There was very little banter from Corgan throughout the show…and no one else said anything at all. No biggie. Bullet sounded normal, loud, good, fast, and like the live versions we have heard of this one before.

3rd was Drown. I was stoked to hear it, even though I was kinda expecting it in a way…according to the set lists. Drown was just like they played it back during the Siamese Dream tour. It wasn’t sloppy, and was definitely a highlight of the show. Next was Bring The Light, followed by Tarantula, and Pomp and Circumstance. All sounded very good and Pomp and Circumstance was a lot better live than on the album. It’s not one of my favorites from Zeitgeist, but live…it’s a damn good song.

Glass & the Ghost Children was next and I was very happy to get this one too. They changed it up a LOT. I love it when they totally rework their songs…making them sound completely different and new. Think of GAGC, except with a lot more focus on the Pink Floyd sounding guitar parts. Both Corgan and Schroeder kicked ass on this one, which was another highlight of the show for me. Right after that, was another underground favorite…Superchrist. I could tell a lot of the people around me hadn’t heard this song before, but me being a BIG fan, I had heard it many times and love it. It was a hard jamming, riff, masterpiece. The only problem? It was too short! Doomsday Clock followed Superchrist, and I got to tell ya…those songs back to back is a perfect combo. Holy crap! Doomsday Clock, if you can believe it, was MUCH better live. They tore it to shreds…once again, NOT making it sloppy.

Corgan pulls out his acoustic guitar for the next two songs, 1979 and Perfect, while the other members disappear back stage. During Perfect, Jimmy came out and hit the tambourine around. He looked a little under worked with such a small instrument in his hands, but he pulled it off well. 1979 acoustic was sung very nice and played very fast. It was surprisingly one of my favorites of the show.

I got one from my wish list with Set The Ray To Jerry, which was next. It was electric, and Corgan had a guitar around his neck, but he never played it. He let Jeff play it and Billy just kinda waved his hands around with the words at the crowd. This song was SO good sounding. Ahhh. I’m glad they are playing this song on this tour. Today was next, and it was nothing new…but it was a hard version, and sounded very impressive for such an old worn out song.

I was VERY stoked when they started Let Me Give The World To You. One of the highlights…easily. They didn’t play this one as fast as the other songs. It was played like it is on Machina II and it was a big treat. Quite possibly the best song of the night, but who’s to say?

The show ended with a very cool, hard, and impressive mixture of the newly mastered Heavy Metal Machine, Rock On, and a minute tease of REM’s The One I Love (as we know REM is from Athens, GA…which is why this was a cool insert). After some very long guitar solos from Corgan and Schroeder, they go back into Heavy Metal Machine and Rock On.

The encore, which was only one song…was Hummer. Since it was Hummer, that made up for the lack of extra encores. Hummer was so darn good, perfect, and non-sloppy. The crowd really liked it, and so did I. The lights went back on at 10:10. They only played for roughly 2 hours, but i was happy. It was impossible to walk out of there without a huge grin on my face. Of course, I am seeing them 3 more times within the next week :p

the pumpkins must have felt a bit like they were playing into a vacuum as the crowd wasn't giving back a lot of energy; the fans in athens though are nostalgic and like me, in their late twenties/early thirties, formerly angry youth in the grunge era. i can't really justify the actions of some who stood like statues as billy and jimmy gave it their all. nostalgia is and always will be a beautiful thing for me, no matter how old i get; the pumpkins will always bring me back to a time and place (high school) and i will always act accordingly: absorbed in the music, wild, most of all very satisfied. i have to say that i've never seen a better band live than that the current incarnation of the smashing pumpkins; they were absolutely incandescent, a machine; they owned every song they played; the show seemed short and they acted as if they'd just run a 5K in 14 flat without breaking a sweat and could easily go on and run a marathon without bathos. i wish they had, i wish they had played a dream setlist, but we are at their mercy; i'm appreciative of what i saw.

So I was in the pit at the Athens show and let me just say...it was GREAT!! and for you that said it was lame...you are STUPID!!! I was in the front row SCREAMING AND SINGING!!

LOVED THE R.E.M. COVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am writing an article about the show for my school newspaper, and i personally thought that it was a FANTASTIC show. i felt uneasy when they came on. i think the concert would have taken another route if billy didnt jusst stand there for like 5 mins. without doing anyting. athens was really excited about the show and i feel that if billy would have done a little more when he got out onto the stage, the crowd would have gone nuts. the show got really good after a few songs. it seemed that billy loosened up a bit. they need to come back on a friday, cause that is when the town lights up and goes nuts. one problem i see that a lot of people have with the show is that the seats started filling up after the show started.
I agree but i think it was an advertising problem. Although the show sold out, it was not until last minute when finally people found out. I talked to people a month before the show and they thought that it had already sold out. it was also advertised that the concert would start at 7:30. people thought that this meant that the opening band would come out at 7:30. but it meant that the pumpkins were supposed to come out at 7:30. i think crowd would have been better if it was either on a friday or in the summer. i knew so many people who said that they REALLY wanted to go, but couldn't because it was in the middle of the week.
Guys please come back to athens i promise that we will make it up!

I felt the same way. The show started and the pit was almost MT. Billy went into United States and came to the front of the stage right by me. It felt weird that there was only a few people in the pit. Later on the pit filled probably by the 4th song or something but the people that were in there were lame except for a few so I toned it down also. I hope the ATL crowd makes up for it. I have front row again and will be screaming, singing, dancing throughout. Screw Athens!!!!

a lot of the recent posts on the home page dicussed how lame the crowd was. I noticed that too. I was on row EE left section (great seats)and was sort of uncomfortable by my section mates. I like to move around, dance, sing, show some signs of life when I go to concerts, but the people around me were like zombies - totally stiff. It made me nervous, so I toned it down. I know I shouldn't have cared, but it was uncomfortable. Sorry Pumpkins!!! Atlanta will be better, just wait......

Was right in the pit and it sounded great! Wish they played a few more songs though. Setlist I can remember United States, Bullet, Drown, Today, Set the Ray to Jerry, Pomp and Circumstances, Glass and The Ghost Children, Bring the Light, Perfect, 1979, Tarantula, Doomsday Clock, Heavy Metal Machines/REM cover this goes out to the one I love, I love Rock and Roll, Tonight Tonight, Encore Hummer!

Fan since Siamese Dream days, but first Pumpkins show last night and it was absolutely more than I 'd expected. Pumpkins played for 2 solid hours (show started early with Explosions in the Sky; great band)from 8:15-10:15. Set list is a bit fuzzy, but I remember "Drown", "Bullett with Butterfly Wings", "Tonight, Tonight", "Tarantula", "Revolution", "Today", an acoustic version of "1979" and "Rocket" as the encore. They also did an REM snippet (The One I Love) and a Joan Jett song (I love Rock n Roll). What a great show! The stage set-up, lights, and sound blew me away! If you get the chance, definitely go to one of the shows. I hope to see them again in Atlanta next weekend.

Plus, you'll get your first drink 1/2 price. Can't wait to see the Pumpkins tear $#%#% up in Athens. This will be the first time I've seen you guys in, well, a very long time. Think 1991 in K-zoo MI. You guys are one of my all time favs. Thanks for making an appearance in my favorite city. GO DAWGS!!!!!

Shannon
Promo Director
LEVEL 131