The Smashing Pumpkins @ Roy Wilkins 10-20-12

I bought my tickets to Smashing Pumpkins almost immediately. They have been a long-time favorite of mine, and the possibility of seeing them live was really only a dream to me. The band’s new album Oceania (with a new lineup except for Corgan, of course) is actually very very good, which I’ll admit was somewhat of a shock to me. When I found out the band was playing the complete Oceania album first before playing any older songs, I was a bit disappointed- however, I take the disappointment back because the entire show was AMAZING.

Anberlin was the opening band, they played a decent 45 minute set. Finally Smashing Pumpkins came out with a giant sphere behind the band which played scenes and visuals specific to each song. It was a very beautiful concert- as the visuals went with the music perfectly and really added something special. 

Oceania lasted for about an hour, and I was getting restless for some old-school Pumpkins. (I know , I know, I’m one of THOSE). Billy Corgan joked a lot with the audience, and the new bassist was interacting with the audience as well. They started the second part of the concert with a cover of “Space Oddity”, which was awesome. The rest of their set included hits and deep tracks, most of which were modified just a little bit, but in a good way. It’s good to mix things up once in a while. “Disarm”, “Tonight, Tonight”, and “Ava Adore” would have to be my favorites of the songs performed. Absolutely breathtaking. 

All in all, the show was exactly what I expected: Amazing, wonderful, beautiful music that so many of us fell in love with. I think I may have cried during “Disarm”. The one thing I wasn’t very happy about was the lighting… it was way too intense. Regardless, I am 110% satisfied with the show and hope to see them again someday ! I believe the new lineup is planning on continuing with more albums… Corgan seems very set on moving forward and not staying stuck in the 90s. (Which is a bummer for me, because I am so completely stuck in the 90s, and fine with it.)

Also, Oceania is an incredible album and if you are a Pumpkins fans that is still hesitant, just try it !  

The Fuck Knights at 331 Club

Tags

331 Club, The Fuck Knights

Last Sunday night was the last night of Art-A-Whirl, and I was glad to be able to make it down to the 331 Club to catch some sweet tunes. 

The Fuck Knights really caught my attention and were the highlight of the night. The group recently added a 5th member to their band, but that didn’t seem to slow them down at all. Their set consisted of mainly garage punk songs: loud, fast, hard, and crazy. The crowd generally seemed to enjoy it , however The Knights set was outside and the weather wasn’t too great. Still, the weather didn’t stop most people from really enjoying the music. 

My favorite song they played was “Teenage Wasteland”, while “Kristina!” seemed to be their most well-known song. The Fuck Knights also kept their set fresh with a variety of different song-styles, some of which were more of their original garage punk sound, while a few others had a more psychedelic, experimental feel. 

All in all, I had a great time watching The Fuck Knights, and I will definitely go out of my way to see them again. They were fast, talented, and just plain fun. I would recommend to anyone who likes punk music to check this great band out :http://www.fuckknights.com/. Be sure to take a listen to their most recent release, “Let it Bleed”, as well as their older stuff !