It’s been almost two decades since Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlain shared a stage together, and while not a full and complete reunion without bassist D’arcy Wretsky, Denver came out in droves with love and support for Corgan and Co. for the Shiny and Oh So Bright tour.
Walking out on his own with an acoustic guitar, Corgan commanded the stage immediately and the 16,000 plus in attendance at the Pepsi Center erupted when the first chords of Disarm were struck. Pictures of Corgan as a child flashed on the screen and effectively punctuated the autobiographical nature of the song. Now, one could argue that it also effectively served the ego of Corgan, but really, what it did more than anything was set a darkly confessional tone for the rest of the evening.
As the song ended, the rest of the band, including guitarist Jeff Schroeder and bassist Jack Bates wordlessly joined Corgan for Rocket, also off the Siamese Dream album. The Pumpkins went on to play a well-chosen mix of their entire catalog - with a concentration on the aforementioned Dream and Mellon Collie albums.
With a set designed to satiate both the casual fan with hits like Today and Bullet With Butterfly Wings as well as deep cuts for the long time fan like Thirty-Three and For Martha, Smashing Pumpkins really spared no expense in making sure everyone left satisfied in the over three-hour set.
