Smashing Pumpkins at MEN Arena

As one of the most influential bands in rock, Smashing Pumpkins should have pulled off a blinding show at MEN Arena on 15th February. So why did the show end with a chorus of boos from the crowd?

When Billy Corgan celebrated the release of his first solo album in 2005 with a full-page advert in the Chicago Tribune saying, "I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams," there was excitement across the industry. The band had split in 2000 following twelve years as one of the most successful and influential bands in rock.

With this in mind, you might have expected the band's first UK tour since their reformation to be a sell-out success. However, walking up to the gates at the MEN Arena, touts were desperately trying to offload the £30 tickets to passing punters at £10 a shot.

Though the arena was only half-full, there was plenty of goodwill to start with.  The crowd, mainly made up of people in their twenties and early thirties, cheered loudly as Corgan took to the stage and the first sublime chords of Porcelina of the Vast Oceans swept out across the space.

However, despite a good number of favourites from their back catalogue including Mayonnaise, Tonight, Tonight and My Blue Heaven, the crowd never really got into their stride. The seating sections remained firmly in their seats, clapping from their laps, and much of the standing crowd happily cheered but drew the line at dancing.

Though Corgan may have stated he wanted his band back, it was clear throughout the gig that this was still very clearly the Billy Corgan show. He stalked around the stage, his silver-disked shirt and bald head bringing to mind some malevolent android of the future, refusing to interact with the crowd beyond the odd comment like  "Welcome to my rock and roll party. You are all lucky to be invited." The crowd were happy to indulge him for much of the show, especially when he took to the stage alone for a luscious acoustic version of 1979.

However, he took it too far in the final twenty minutes of the show. His bandmates cleared the stage as he played a poor parody of Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner and then plunged into twenty minutes of self-congratulatory improvisation that left the standing section rooted to the spot. The seated crowd looked so worried it was almost as though Corgan was chastising them. Eventually a mutinous chorus of booing began to build up, which only fell away when the band reappeared onstage and joined in for a final jam before leaving again.

The crowd were confused to be left with an empty stage and it took a few moments until they realised that the improvisation had finished and the show was over. This left the crowd feeling confused and the applause had a definite half-hearted quality as large numbers of the audience immediately began to make their way to the exit. After a couple of minutes it was clear that the band were refusing to come back onstage and then the boos began again.

After two and a half hours, plenty of songs from the back catalogue and an intriguing taster of what is to come from the forthcoming album, no one could accuse Smashing Pumpkins of having short-changed their audience. However, it is unfortunate that the final memory of the night was not a triumphant performance of one of their biggest hits but a dazed and uncomfortable crowd muttering about Billy Corgan's ego as they made their way out of the arena.

Words: Claire Symonds