The Smashing Pumpkins 1998-07-07

July 7, 1998 – Tinley Park, IL, US
Live performance by The Smashing Pumpkins
Adore tour
Date	July 7, 1998
Venue	New World Music Theater
Coordinates	41°32′39″N 87°46′34″W
Location	Tinley Park, IL, US
Venue type	Amphitheater
Capacity	28,739
Personnel	Billy Corgan, James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky, Kenny Aronoff, Mike Garson, Dan Morris, Stephen Hodges, Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Bun E. Carlos, Tom Petersson
Order of bands	Cheap Trick, The Smashing Pumpkins
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The July 7, 1998 performance was a charity event at the New World Music Theater with fellow Chicago band Cheap Trick serving as the opening act. The show was moved from Soldier Field due to slow sales. The band originally wanted to host a free concert in Chicago's Grant Park, but were denied permission by mayor Richard Daley, who feared that the show might draw 100,000 fans. Daley later declared July 7th "Smashing Pumpkins Day". Ironically, four days before this show, Grant Park hosted 1.3 million guests for Independence Day fireworks. The band managed to perform a free concert in Minneapolis just ten days later that drew upwards of 125,000 fans, and that occurred without incident.

A check for $500,000 was presented to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for terminally sick children. This marked the single highest donation to the organization in their then eleven-year history. Billy Corgan later reflected this as one the band's greatest accomplishments. Make-A-Wish children were on stage for the check presentation and sang "Today" to the band.

Setlist

1. "To Sheila" 
2. "Behold! the Night Mare" 
3. "Pug" 
4. "Crestfallen" 
5. "Ava Adore" 
6. "Once Upon a Time" 
7. "Tear" 
8. "Daphne Descends" 
9. "Thru the Eyes of Ruby" 
10. "Perfect" (acoustic) 
11. "Tonight, Tonight" (acoustic) 
12. (percussion solo)
    1. "Zero" (tease) 
    2. "Where Boys Fear to Tread" (tease) 
    3. "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" 
13. "Shame" 
14. "For Martha" [7:45] 

Encore one

15. (check presentation)
16. "Today" (tease) (Make-A-Wish kids on vocals) 
17. "Today" (tease) 
18. "I Want You to Want Me" [Cheap Trick] 
19. "1979" 

Encore two

20. "Summertime" [George Gershwin] (tease) 
    1. "Blank Page" 
21. "Transmission" [Joy Division] [19:29] 
    1. "Let's Dance" [David Bowie] (tease) 

Notes

• "I Want You to Want Me" with Cheap Trick
• "1979" with Rick Nielsen on guitar
• Mike Garson's "Summertime" intro to "Blank Page" is played in a blues style, instead of the usual traditional arrangement

Banter

To Sheila
> Behold! The Night Mare
> Pug
> Crestfallen
> Ava Adore
BC: Hi, thank you.
Once Upon a Time
> Tear
(Iha begins Daphne Descends intro)
BC: How's everybody doin', you alright? This is a song called Daphne Descends.
Daphne Descends
Thru the Eyes of Ruby
Perfect (acoustic)
BC: Thank you, thank you. As always, you've made us feel very welcome to come home, so we thank you very much. It means a lot to us that so many of you are with us tonight and uh, supporting us through all our...changes.
D'arcy: Even though we don't rock anymore, thank you.
BC: Yeah, we don't rock anymore, thank you anyway. Heh heh heh. So we have a lot of family here tonight, we have a lot of friends but, you know, in a way you are our family as well, so we love you, we thank you. You've made this a very special night for us...and it uh...what else can I say, I dedicate this next song to you. I hope it means as much to you as it means to me.
Tonight, Tonight (acoustic)
drum/percussion solo
> Zero (tease)
> Where Boys Fear to Tread (tease)
> Bullet with Butterfly Wings
> Shame
For Martha
BC: God bless you, thank you, (blows kiss).
[encore break]
Iha: Thank you very much, Chicago Rock City. You guys have been really great, we appreciate you coming out here tonight for the charity. And now, we would like to do a special presentation. I think, hang on. ...
Charity lady: The Make-A-Wish Foundation is extremely grateful to the Smashing Pumpkins. Today is the greatest day we’ve ever known! Mayor Daley claimed July 7th as Smashing Pumpkins Day in Chicago!
BC: Hey, wait a second! If today in Chicago, if we’re –- if today is Smashing Pumpkins Day, does that mean we can play Grant Park later on today?
D’arcy: Hopefully!
BC: For free?!
D’arcy: For free for all of you. Yes, at about three o’clock this morning.
Charity lady: The children of the Make-a-Wish Foundation would like to sing a song to the Smashing Pumpkins and to Chicago. ...
Today (tease) (Make-a-Wish kids on vocals w/light accompaniment by band)
BC: Thank you, thank you everybody, thank you. Don’t go anywhere a sec –- wait a sec, wait a second! We’re proud, along with Cheap Trick, to present the Make-a-Wish Foundation a check for $500,000. ...
Iha: And now....
BC: Well, that’s the end of the show, thank you, goodnight.
Today (tease - 1 time through riff)
BC: I want you...to want me!
I Want You to Want Me (with Cheap Trick)
(BC before last verse: Hahahahahaha! Kenny, you’re fired again. Every time we come to Chicago, we have to fire you.)
Iha: Thank you. We tried. We tried very hard to do a good version of that. We’d like to thank these guys.
D’arcy: It is dead...for we have killed it.
Iha: We tried though.
BC: Rick, you can still play on this song if you’d like. The chords are E major, seven, to A major seven, and then the turnarounds are F sharp minor to B major. You know the tune.
Rick Nielsen: Thank you, Billy!
1979 (with Rick Nielsen)
(BC verse 3 alt lyrics: Rick never knew the rules / hung down with the freaks and Pumpkins)
BC: Thank you, god bless you, goodnight.
[encore break]
Summertime (tease)
> Blank Page
BC: God bless you, thank you for making this an unbelievable night for us. (Transmission intro begins) This is where it gets all very spacey, so uh...we understand if you wanna head for your cars and all that, you know, we’re just gonna kinda jam out for a little bit.
Transmission / Let’s Dance
(BC at 12:45: Don't let anybody tell you what to think. Don't let anybody tell you what to think. Don't let anybody tell you what to think. We've been all around the world and I can tell you, the world is not like the fuckin' Jerry Springer Show. The people of the world do not live in a trailer, if you know what I'm saying. So we bid you adieu, we tho -- eh, (brief gibberish noises) -- we hope you've had a good night. We can't thank you enough for this evening, you'll always be inside us, in our hearts and our minds. Thank you, Chicagoland. We'd now like to leave you...with one more musical interlude. This is called The Hammer of the Gods. Not yet, James, shhhh. Let's bring it down. Let it come down, James, let it come down. (band goes into song outro))

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