Smashing Pumpkins Concert Review

I have to start out by saying it was so amazing to be at any concert since I hadn't for years... but to jumpstart the whole concert enjoyment experience with the Smashing Pumpkins was almost just too much! I was giddy like a teenager by the time I got to the Palms. All Bryan could do much of the evening was laugh and shake his head.

The opening band was okay, but I can't find any information on them anywhere on the internet, so either I have the name totally wrong (probably the case) or they were only a figment of my imagination. I thought they were called The 80 (pronounced Eight-O), and they were actually pretty good, but the crowd was not having it - opening bands never get any respect, do they? If I can find anything on them or if someone can correct me on who the hell it was... thanks.

SP has been through some member changes over the years, so I really wasn't all that concerned about James Iha and D'arcy not being there. However, I wasn't seeing a whole lot of comraderie with their replacments. Jimmy Chamberlain is back on drums and the bond between Jimmy and Billy was there, at least...

I was really worried I'd be stuck in a concert hall with a bunch of teenagers, and I was pleasantly surprised that the median age was somewhere around my own! The Pearl concert hall was really cool - it was small enough to have a good seat no matter where you were, and the sound was incredible.

The set list was really pretty impressive, although they did miss a few of my favorites (i.e. Mayonaise). There was an awesome acoustic set of songs, such as "1979" and "Perfect", and of course Billy still has that angry scream I love so much!

My hearing has been pretty bad today (I'm getting old) and I'm exhausted because I didn't get to bed until about 1:00 a.m. Work suffered most of the consequences; I was there, but only physically taking up space, heh. However, it was all worth it, because I had an absolute blast and seriously enjoyed the show!!