Similar to the Beatles’ self-titled white album, there’s an endless debate about which songs from the Smashing Pumpkins’ 1995 magnum opus Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness are the best. There’s plenty to choose from among its 28 tracks, so it was fascinating to witness which ones the band itself selected for its Rats in a Cage Tour, which served as the double album’s 30th anniversary celebration and landed at the Moody Center on Sunday.
Interestingly, there was little regard for sequence among the two discs. The overwhelming majority – 12 of 16 – was pulled from the record’s first half, so it stands to reason that the choices were based less on ranking by quality and more so on what the Pumpkins might think best represent the album’s narrative in this condensed format. Frontman Billy Corgan himself revealed the chief metric, proclaiming that SP is the “best sad band in the world” and “sorrow is the family business.”
Of course, the sibling of sorrow is anger, which provided balance throughout and rung true as opening track “1979” gave way to the full-throttle aggression of “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” where Corgan’s scream resounded as ragefully (on the nose) as it did when he first unleashed it in his 20s. The down-tempo and meandering pair of “Cupid de Locke” and “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans” followed, featuring the singer at his most contemplative as he sashayed across the stage sans guitar during the former.
Outright fury followed with “Jellybelly” and “Bodies,” both counterweighted by “Galapagos,” acoustic ballad “Thirty-Three,” and the bridge between anguish and aggression, “Tonight, Tonight,” a teen angst anthem for the ages that incited one of night’s most passionate singalongs. Crushing riffs from guitarist James Iha continued on “Here Is No Why,” which also showcased the fearsome beatdowns of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and bassist Jack Bates’ relentlessly chugging rhythms, and concluded with one of Corgan’s most searing solos.
Only two more hits, “Zero” and Muzzle,” appeared in the first half, sandwiched between rarities: the starkly contrasting pair of “To Forgive” and “Fuck You (An Ode to No One),” and arresting takes on “By Starlight” – a spotlight for touring guitarist Kiki Wong’s resplendent piano skills – and Mellon Collie’s instrumental title track. For those only in it for the hits, these might’ve marked a disappointing end, but they were undoubtedly exquisite delights for the devout.
After a 20-minute intermission, the Pumpkins returned with a mixed bag: 14 selections comprised of newer songs (“Edin,” “Pentagrams,” and “War Dreams of Itself,” from 2024’s Aghori Mhori Mei, and the odd choice of “Black Stars,” off the upcoming soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping), plus rarities and several hits.
The latter group came primarily from 1993 sophomore breakthrough Siamese Dream, with “Cherub Rock” serving as the most riveting reminder of the band’s stature as rock royalty. Unsurprisingly, there was a mass exodus after that 28th song, but those fans made a grave mistake. They missed the colossal, mind-blowing drum solo from Chamberlin to round out show-closing instrumental cut “Superchrist,” perhaps the most compelling cacophony of the evening.
Across the concert’s nearly three hours, sadness may have been the driving factor, but rock-fueled catharsis proved the epic result. Consistent for nearly 40 years, it’s unlikely that approach will ever let up. Long live the mighty Smashing Pumpkins.
