Smashing Pumpkins

+ Oceansize

The O2, London - 16 Feb 2008

by Matt Hill

Cult of Corgan delivers an arena-sized void where the atmosphere should go

"As an elitist indie music site, we should probably applaud non-conformism, but to deliver such a self-involved set at an arena gig is to fundamentally not understand the beast with which you are brawling"

This gig isn't for us.

OK, so The O2 is barely two-thirds full, but it's still the O2. Oceansize may have just showered us with their experimental yet triumphant majesty (all four, incredibly long songs of it), but this is a big fuck-off venue and should probably be treated as such. Y'know, some hard-rocking, stadium-style: a trawl through the hits; a punchy opener with a consistent, accessible setlist to follow; some screens relaying what the band's faces actually look like to those in the upper tier amidst the clouds. No?

No. Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan thinks showing a middle finger to non-hardcore fans is more suitable.

For a start, there's no screens. In the upper tier, about halfway back, New-Noise can't even make out what colour top Corgan is wearing. At one point, he gets someone up on stage and tells a story about "her" recent divorce while the front row screams out. Everyone in our near vicinity looks puzzled. They didn't realise it was a woman. This gig isn't for us.

A nine-minute, 13-year-old album track opens proceedings. The crowd looks phased. Something equally lethargically paced that 80 per cent don't recognise follows it up. Still nothing. Finally, 'Tonight, Tonight' enters the fray at five songs in, The O2 grows a pulse and we're into the gig proper.

Yet the curveballs continue to fly: 'Cash Car Star' off the download-only 'Machina 2'; 'Behold! The Nightmare', which wasn't voted in the Top 5 most-accessible tracks off 'difficult' album 'Adore'; a wishy-washy song off a new US tour EP that most people in the UK don't even know exists; and no 'Cherub Rock' in two and a half hours of music. Not even that one they contributed to the Transformers soundtrack not so long back, which most people will have heard whether they wanted to or not aside Megan Fox's magnificent frame.

New-Noise paid £80 for its pair of tickets. We can confirm that Corgan has a positively huge middle finger.

Now, as an elitist indie music site (and fully paid-up long-term Pumpkins fans) we should probably applaud and bow down to this non-conformism, but screw that. We love live surprises as much as the next up-himself muso, but there are some basic rules: you want a wanky love-in, play the Shepherds Bush Empire like Corgan and co did back when latest album 'Zeitgeist' first came out. Hold your fan-club-only draw and serve up B-sides and oddities till the check shirts come home – everyone gets it, the obscure becomes a unifier and we all have a party. It was fucking great.

But to deliver such a self-involved set at an arena gig is to fundamentally not understand the beast with which you are brawling. For a start, at least a third of the audience has probably only heard the band's singles previously. As Corgan says to the front row when they launch into 'Drown' (a nice, if unnecessarily sprawling eight-minute ditty from the 1991 soundtrack to Matt Dillon flick Singles), "Some of you were just fetuses when this came out." And, what do you know, they react as you'd expect: confused, ever so slightly bored, feeling ultimately like this gig isn't for them. Competency in abundance, atmosphere a stranger to everyone.

It's almost as if Corgan has been hurt by the accusations of big fat cash-in aimed at this 'what, just two members?' reunion – and the 37 different versions of the new album doing the rounds (don't forget the exclusive tour EP!) – so is being willfully obscure. "I'm in it for the music, guys, honest, just look at this rare shit I'm dredging up! Who cares if no one knows it, I do. And I love it!"

Corgan's a control freak and a very intelligent one at that. He's been doing this 'music' shit for years. He knows how to plan a set list and get the best out of his considerable musical prowess. There's no way anything is left to chance, accidentally being left to go off. So how is this gig rubbish?

When he finally speaks to the crowd after 10 songs or so, Corgan is funny, charismatic and, importantly, doesn't take himself or his angst at all seriously. And then later, he does a note-perfect acoustic run through the chorus of Girls Aloud's 'Call The Shots'.

"I love this song," he chirps to chuckles all round. "No, really," he reasserts, the perfect mainstream showman, the ideal big-occasion host. Unfortunately, these are the only parts of the night where it feels like it isn't all about him.

But then this gig wasn't for us, was it?
Jen Perkin said on February 19th 2008 [report abuse]

Think I'm the only person who thoroughly enjoyed this gig. Maybe it was for me? I was delighted they opened with Porcelina. Fair enough point, but for my money I'd rather see an idiosyncratic show than a predictable arena-by-numbers one. But then again I did have standing tickets...

Matt Hill said on February 19th 2008 [report abuse]

Point was Jen, I went to the Shepherds Bush gig, as, I suspect, did most of the Pumpkins hardcore left in London. This kind of set was perfect there. A key part of any gig is atmosphere, and their decision to play the same obscure set to an arena crowd killed the atmosphere, as not enough people got into it. And even the standing section looked unmoved for most of it from where i was sitting

Fletchy Fletch Fletch said on February 20th 2008 [report abuse]

Bloke in my office was in the standing section and commented to his mate at one point that he'd inadvertently caught himself thinking about tomorrow's dinner...

Passing Munchkin said on February 21st 2008 [report abuse]

Ever since I saw The Bunnymen at Wembley Arena in 1987 I have avoided arena gigs. I only bought the tickets as I had never visited the Dome. Their cover of the Bunnymen's 'Lips Like Sugar' reminded me of how dire a favorite band in a oversized venue can be. My girlfriend literally got vertigo! I had joked about taking my binoculars. I had bought tickets to watch other people watch a gig. Everything was so orientated toward a select audience of around 1000 punters. I need a refund?

Joe Bananas said on March 28th 2008 [report abuse]

It's all part of the Pumpkins charm. But then again, it was things like this that eroded their charm when they last broke up (hence the abysmal Wembley gig on 'their last ever uk tour'). Shame they didn't play 'Drown' in Shepherd's Bush though...

Scroggin said on April 2nd 2008 [report abuse]

Just seem them down here in Australia. It seems their setlist has not changed, unfortunately. 2 hours of drone; the 'encore' was Billy returning by himself to play an acoustic number nobody seemed to know. Fck this. If I want to see a past-it 40-year old play with his guitar FX, I'll head down to the local music shop. At least he'd be playing SOMETHING I'VE HEARD BEFORE! Biggest waste of money and time. Ripped. Off.

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