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0 The few that managed to get tickets knew what they were about to witness: a once-in-a-lifetime show from one of the biggest bands in the world. Within minutes of being announced, The Smashing Pumpkins’ intimate pre-tour, warm-up show at the Viper Room was a sold-out ticket.
The June 30 show brought out a different type of crowd than the usual L.A. laissez-faire club goers. The atmosphere was that of a stadium show, where young fans storm the doors and stake their claim in front of the stage, not budging for booze or bathroom breaks. With no opening acts to clutter the evening, the steadfast crowd jammed out to ’90s nostalgia tracks resurrected by DJ Jamie Scrap.
When The Pumpkins finally took the stage, the faithful fans were spellbound, awestruck by the surreal sight of Billy Corgan’s iconic stature mere feet from their faces. Opening with their latest internet released single, “Astral Planes,” the psychedelic, guitar fueled opus set the mood for an evening that blended songs from the band’s 20-plus year career.
The group sounded massive in the Viper’s cozy nook. Plowing through a 15 song set, the band breathed new life into classic hits like “Ava Adore” as they subbed live bass for the recording’s sampled beats and thrilled the crowd with an extended guitar outro.
The stand out track of the evening was the unexpected “Stand Inside Your Love.” Written during the later portion of the band’s career, the beautifully simple percussive beats perfectly supported Corgan’s melodic crooning, bringing to mind a flood of emotive reminiscence.
Giving the crowd zero time to recover, The Pumpkins swiftly launched into mega hit “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.” Before Corgan could even complete the signature lyric “The world is a vampire…” the room roared with elation and expectation as the band ripped through the driving tune with reckless abandon. Other notable songs of the evening included the dream pop sounds of “Perfect,” the sonic meanderings of “United States,” and old school crowd favorite “Cherub Rock.”
At the end of the night, the chance to see a legend of this caliber in such an intimate setting is something that no one in that room will ever forget.
Those who missed the intimate Viper Room show can catch the band live as they return to The Sunset Strip Aug. 28 to headline the Sunset Strip Music Festival. Tickets and info: www.ssmf.com.
Photos courtesy of The Sunset Strip’s original hipster photographer.
–Brent X Mendoza
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