It’s easy to be cynical about band reunions. They’re all cash-grabs, we collectively clamor– and then one of our favorite bands books one. If you grew up in the ’90s and listened to WHFS or watched MTV, the Smashing Pumpkins were unavoidable, an alternative band that veered from sludgy rock (“Zero”) to orchestral pop (“Disarm”) to shoegaze-y indie jams (“Cherub Rock”).
And they did all of it well, carving out a place in the pantheon of the ’90s alternative rock boom alongside the likes of Pearl Jam and Nirvana.Tonight, the mostly reunited lineup–original bassist D’arcy Wretzky is infamously not part of it, which has resulted in a nasty public spat with singer/guitarist Billy Corgan–takes the stage at Royal Farms Arena to play songs from the band’s first five albums: “Gish,” “Siamese Dream,” “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” “Adore” and “Machina/The Machines of God.”
Per the Miami New Times, Corgan, guitarist James Iha, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and co. pull out some real deep cuts that may have some attendees scratching their heads. But this being an exercise in nostalgia and all, of course they also play the classics like “1979,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “Muzzle,” along with covers of Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie and Led Zeppelin.
7 p.m., Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St., (410) 347-2020, royalfarmsarena.com, $29-$125.
