Recap Smashing Pumpkins at Riverside Theater

Reliving the mid-’90s Smashing Pumpkins experience was definitely on the minds of the people in Thursday’s near-capacity crowd at The Riverside, as the most exuberant audience response was brought on by founder (and sole original member) Billy Corgan’s performance of a surprising number of vintage songs. The gangly frontman’s stage posture was confident, brooding, and indignant as ever as he spat (literally, onstage) and plowed through a more than 90-minute set rife with obscure cuts and devoid of stage banter, beyond a brief nod to the attendance of his estranged father. Siamese Dream was largely ignored, save for energetic renditions of “Geek U.S.A.” and “Cherub Rock.” Most surprising of all were the inclusions culled from the B-sides and rarities album Pisces Iscariot (“Frail & Bedazzled,” “Starla,” and “Obscured”). Deep cuts from Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness also prevailed (“Thru The Eyes Of Ruby,” “Muzzle”), save for a rushed rendition of “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” as the second encore.

Many have criticized Corgan’s insistence on using the Smashing Pumpkins moniker to label a band that is him plus “stage puppets” (currently guitarist Jeff Schroeder, bassist Nicole Fiorentino, and drummer Mike Byrne), though the show served as proof that Corgan has always been the driving force behind the band. The pitch-perfect renditions of old-school tracks testified that Corgan is still in touch with his roots, while the machine-like regurgitation—and the crowd’s enthusiastic response to it—spoke to the strength of people’s desire to hear what was recognizable rather than to experience the joy of a live show.

The psychedelic stage setup included a single, central circular screen; two flashing fans; and numerous, brief lighting breaks. The entire scene was punctuated by intense guitar solos from Corgan, which were on par for the live Pumpkins experience. The band may have sounded as full as ever, but the lack of personality shown by Corgan and his current Pumpkins was palpable.

While few may have missed Corgan’s aggression and ambivalence toward his audience, and many appreciated the nostalgia delivered via the first Milwaukee show from the Pumpkins in more than a decade, there was certainly a lack of the personal quirks that make seeing a band live memorable. Luckily, Corgan and his crew can easily skate by on well-heeled professionalism and nostalgia, which is probably the best bet for a band that’s touring on an album (Oceania) that isn’t due until early 2012.