Smashing Pumpkins In Concert: Ramshead Live! in Baltimore MD on July 12th, 2010

Not even a thunderstorm could cool down the heat from the sold-out Smashing Pumpkins show. Long lines snaked through the building as fans waited for the doors to open which guaranteed a nicely filled venue by the time the opening band, Bad City, hit the stage. This up-and-coming band from Chicago (actually all the bands tonight are from Chicago) warmed up the crowd with its old-school rock sound and catchy lyrics. Singer Josh Caddy seemed comfortable on the stage, but at times, it seemed a bit forced. Most likely this band just needs to find their comfort zone; and on top of that, opening for The Smashing Pumpkins can't be an easy task for any band, especially one that's just starting to generate a buzz.

On stage next was Kill Hannah. Little did they know, the last time they played Baltimore, that would be the last day of that tour for them as their van and equipment were stolen the very next day in Philadelphia. But Kill Hannah isn't a band that takes things lying down and it was great to see them on stage tonight. Starting off the night with the instrumental, "Life in the Arctic", Kill Hannah played a little bit of everything from each of their albums and ended the night with two of their more well-known singles "Kennedy" and "Lips Like Morphine". I would've liked a little longer set from them, but in retrospect, they did play quite a few songs. Their set just went by too fast for me, which is always the case when you're seeing a band you enjoy to watch.

So The Smashing Pumpkin's two-hour-plus set must have flown by for their die-hard fans that spent several hours pinned to the barricade to keep their front row spots. I was just hot standing on the sides of the venue; I can't imagine how crazy it was for the fans right in the middle of all the action. The Smashing Pumpkins never fail to make a show memorable and put a great deal of production into all their shows and this show was no different. Giant windmills / propellers flanked the stage as rows of lights flashed in time to the music behind the band. Singer Billy Corgan, the only original member left in the band, was joined on stage by Jeff Schroeder (guitarist), Nicole Fiorentino (bassist), and Mike Bryne (drummer). While some songs were left to their original sound, this latest incarnation of the Pumpkins put their own twist on other songs, such as "Eye", which was stripped down from its usual electronic sound. And as promised, they played a mix of old and new songs. Corgan joked with the crowd about what year it was, which prompted requests for the hit single "1979". Corgan himself was wearing a flannel shirt, eluding to the Pumpkins' rise to fame during the 90's grunge era. Though they never did play "1979"; it was suppose to be the last song of the night and was listed as part of a second encore along with "Disarm". Not that they were cutting the night short as they had already been playing for over two hours, which should make any Pumpkins' fan quite happy.

Smashing Pumpkins Official Site

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