Having postponed the show due to illness two weeks prior, Smashing Pumpkins performed their second concert at Chicago's Auditorium Theater last night. Not only was this the fifth and final show of their hometown concert series, but it also marked the end of the band's 20th Anniversary Tour. The tour's name is debatable, seeing as the only two original members are frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Corgan's attempt to "recreate" the Pumpkins was futile, but it has come off as a bit of a gimmick. For starters, in the absence of original bassist D’Arcy Wretzky and guitarist James Iha, the band went so far as to hire another attractive, platinum blonde woman and an Asian guy to fill their respective positions. The two new members, Ginger Reyes and Jeff Schroeder held their own and did the best job they could at picking up where D’Arcy and Iha left off. Corgan, however, failed to do so with the band as a whole, and not just in terms of personnel.
To put it simply, the concert was very good. The band played with energy and possessed solid musicianship, Jimmy Chamberlin in particular. The problem was that it wasn't a good Smashing Pumpkins show. Some would argue that it simply wasn't a Smashing Pumpkins show at all. It was Billy Corgan and Company putting on an original, entertaining concert. It was an entirely different type of thing. But unfortunately, it said Smashing Pumpkins on the ticket, and the same raw, bipolar emotion didn't seem to be as prominent. Read more »
The second of two shows at Chicago's Auditorium Theater was postponed until Monday, December 8 due to Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan's illness. Having also played two previous nights at the Chicago Theater up the street, Corgan's voice could allegedly not handle a fourth consecutive night of screaming to the masses. As part of their current tour, the band decided to stop in their hometown and do an extra few shows. In many of the major cities on their tour,
Smashing Pumpkins have done double-nighters in which the setlists are completely different. The band decided to give names to each performance in their traveling two-night event, the first show dubbed "Black Sunshine" and the second "White Crosses". Those who had tickets for both nights at the Auditorium Theater were a bit less disappointed at the postponement of White Crosses. The venue, where Corgan supposedly saw his second-ever concert, is a beautiful old opera house where events like this rarely occur and it's exactly the kind of place where you'd expect an overconfident band like this to play. Smashing Pumpkins, now with Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin as the only two remaining members, put on a show on Friday that left many confused as to how they should feel about the whole experience. Read more »
We exited my apartment in downtown Chicago last night and made our way toward the Barack Obama rally in Grant Park. As Hutchinson Field had long since reached its capacity, my friends and I went to the opposite end of the park, the better part of a mile from where Obama was to give his victory speech (the stage was set up where the main AT&T Stage was at Lollapalooza). After weaving our way through the rapidly expanding mass of Obama supporters (of which there were supposedly more than a million), we spent a few minutes joining the masses in cheering and jeering at the current poll numbers being broadcast on a Jumbotron. Read more »
Chicago's Ears and Eyes Festival will take place this Friday through Sunday at The Hideout, a small venue/bar converted from a 19th century house. It seems that the origin of the venue was built on similar principles as CBGB, seving as an artistic safe-haven for those who classified themselves as outcasts. The Hideout is described as, "small, and small is beautiful. It’s not for everyone, but for every one!" This is further proof that festivals don't need to be epic, 100,000-person spectacles like the simultaneously occurring Voodoo Music Experience.
One artist featured at Ears and Eyes is experimental lounge/jazz/rock hybrid, Maurice. It's gotten to the point where the terms "experimental" or "jazz fusion" make the average music fan turn the other cheek. That being said, it's nice to come across a band that can actually pull that kind of thing off without being pretentious. Their tunes, all of which are instrumental, can best be described as short stories in song form. Within one song, the band provides a sound ranging from Sigur Ros-style ambience to manic trumpet riffing.
It's a known fact that Chicagoans love their music, as they should, considering their city has one of the most booming
music scenes in the world. Not only was Chicago the birthplace of a wealth of the world's music, but it still consistently spawns up-and-coming acts. And it's not as if festival promoters have just recently become wise to this. Events such as Lollapalooza and Pitchfork, although probably the largest of Chicago's festivals, don't even scratch the surface of all the festivals and concert series the Windy City has to offer. Read more »
Chicago's Hyde Park Jazz Festival was such a success last year that the event will take place once again this Saturday, starting at noon. This is one of the many free music events that Chicago is hosting (a few of which are also on Saturday, creating a little competition). The festival will be spread out among twelve different venues in the Hyde Park area in Chicago's south side. Here's the schedule sorted by venue. Read more »
Being an old Chicagoan I wanted to share not just the concert, but also the whole Chicago experience with my daughter. We did the total urban experience by staying downtown and getting a 3-day public transit pass from the airport for $9. We paid more for a downtown hotel but saved on car rental and parking. One of the best aspects of Lolla is the location, Chicago and the fun you can have spending the weekend doing all the stuff the city has to offer.
Friday – we arrived at about 11am and immediately spent a few hours strolling up and down the Magnificent Mile window-shopping and people watching...We then headed on to Lolla to meet up with Jon and Suzanna and caught Cat Power, Mates of States and Radiohead. The daughters squeezed us old geezers up to the front of the crowd until we could not fit in, both physically and mentally. A common occurrence, but ok with Jon and I who could hang back, sip a cold one and catch up with each other. A perfect parenting balance…kids happy – parents happy. Read more »
I’d never heard of Jamie Lidell before Lollapalooza, but we caught the beginning of his set before seeing Lupe Fiasco. It’s difficult to describe his music; it was an eclectic mix of soul and electronic. He has an amazing voice and really got the crowd into his music.
My dad and Emily’s dad Doug weren’t too interested in seeing Lupe Fiasco but they agreed because us girls wanted to. We handed our bags to our dads and they found a spot on the lawn while Emily, Harris and I tried to find a spot close to stage. The area in front of the stage was full of Rage Against the Machine fans who were staking out their spots for Rage's show that night. We were lucky and found a spot relatively close to the stage on the left side. Read more »
