The Smashing Pumpkins 2008-11-21

November 21, 2008 – Chicago, IL, US
Live performance by The Smashing Pumpkins
20th Anniversary tour
Date	November 21, 2008
Venue	Auditorium Theatre
Coordinates	41°52′34″N 87°37′31″W
Location	Chicago, IL, US
Venue type	Theater
Capacity	3,929
Personnel	Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, Jeff Schroeder, Ginger Pooley, Lisa Harriton, Kristopher Pooley, Gingger Shankar, Stephen Bradley, Gabrial McNair, Matt Walker
Order of bands	The Smashing Pumpkins
	Prev. show archive.org Recordings Next show

Black Sunshine tour date. Everybody buying combination tickets to both the Black Sunshine and the White Crosses concerts during the Smashing Pumpkins 20th Anniversary tour received a download for Bonus EP in February 2009. The download contained four live songs recorded during the tour.

Setlist

(Intro) (prerecorded)
"Roctopus"
"Everybody Come Clap Your Hands" [The Searchers]
"Tarantula"
"G.L.O.W."
"Kill Your Parents"
1. "Siva" [10:02]
"Eye"
"Mayonaise" (abandoned)
"Mayonaise"
"Tonight, Tonight"
"Speed Kills"
"Transformer"
"Superchrist"
"United States" [13:10]
1. "The Star-Spangled Banner" [Francis Scott Key] (tease)
"Heat of the Moment" [Asia] (tease)
"Once Upon a Time" (acoustic)
"Again, Again, Again (The Crux)" (acoustic)
"The Rose March" (acoustic)
"Today"
"Bullet with Butterfly Wings"
"The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning"
"Heavy Metal Machine" [10:50]
1. "White Rabbit" [Jefferson Airplane] (tease)
2. "White Horse" [Laid Back] (tease)
"Glass' Theme"
"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" [Pink Floyd] [19:08]

Notes

"United States" with Matt Walker (very briefly) on gong
"Once Upon a Time", "Again, Again, Again (The Crux)", "The Rose March" and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" with Matt Walker on drums
Encore skipped due to a sick Billy Corgan having vocal troubles; he noticeably skips at least three lines at different points during "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", among other issues

Banter

2008 Intro
Roctopus (Jimmy solo)
> Everybody Come Clap Your Hands
Tarantula
> G.L.O.W.
> Kill Your Parents
> Siva
Eye
Mayonaise (abandoned partway through intro)
BC: Stop, stop, stop. Hi. (coughs) I can't hear the piano so we'll start there. How’s everybody doin’, you okay? (coughs) I’m a little sicky, sicky, sicky, (fake coughs twice to demonstrate), sicky, so uh, I’d like you to sing along with me on this next song to help me out, okay? Appreciate that.
Mayonaise
> Tonight, Tonight
> Speed Kills
> Transformer
(BC over outro: Yeaaaah. (coughing fit) Attention! Attention. Attention shoppers, a heh heh heh. (screams) She’s a real live...transformer. She’s a real (coughs twice) live (coughs twice) transformer. She’s a North Side girl with a South Side past...together.)
> Superchrist
> United States / Star Spangled Banner (with Matt Walker)
BC: Thank you! Thank you, Chi-town. Thank you up there, thank you. (clears throat) Well, hangin’ in there. Hangin' in there. We’re gonna kick it down now, take you into Sadland, bum you right the fuck out. We’re good at it, 20 years makin’ you sad, we’re good at it. Even when we make you happy, we make you kind of sad in a weird kind of way, right? 20 years of destruction, more like it, heh heh, huh, heh. 20 years of burnin’ bridges, heh heh heh, heh. 20 years of broken hearts. Gambled and lost. Okay, let's uh, heh heh, (coughs), alright. 20 years! Ahhh, 20 years, heh heh. Yeah. Actually, my friend, we already played Tonight so you might wanna hold that request. Uh, heh heh. (stoner voice) “Wanna hear it again, man, it’s so good, hear it again.” (normal) You know, when I was 14 years old, I came to see my second concert ever in this venue. Yes. I sat at the verrrry top there. Okay, see that young lady?, I think it’s a lady, I can’t tell you’re so far away with the white--are you wearing white? No no no, to the, to the, no no no, no no, she’s making out with her boyfriend now. Um, now you’re hiding, raise your arm right there. Nope, over this way, over this way. Oh my god, she’s doing something that’s not even natural. Front row, wearing glasses, I can see you, I still can see that good, yes! She’s looking like there’s someone else. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I was gonna give you something special since you were sitting in my seat but fuck you now. Pay attention! Pay attention to me. Let’s see, who wants to be on--on the honorary Billy seat tonight?, hmmm. Okay, I like that, young man who just raised your hand wearing a baseball cap, please stand up. Please stand up. Yes, you, wearing the uh, the White Crosses shirt. Okay, yes. That’s where I sat, people, for Asia. Heat of the Moment.
Heat of the Moment (tease)
BC: (sings) “It was the heat of the moment,” (speaks) I was right there. And thanks to Asia, I’m here right now. That’s right. Actually, Jimmy, wasn’t John Wetton in Asia? (Jimmy gives Billy an exaggerated thumbs up) Right? He was the bass player and singer, right? Does anyone remember John Wetton? Right? Here’s a funny story: we were working on Siamese Dream and uh, (crowd cheers) we went in to mix the album--yes, not a bad album. We were--we were mixing Siamese Dream in Captain & Tennille’s studio, that’s a true story. The Captain was runnin’ the studio. Seriously, this is not a Pumpkins joke, this is truth now. Anyway, so uh, we had this guy, it's an older guy, he didn’t--he kept saying, “What is that that you guys are doing with this record? I don’t get all the guitar overdubs and all that,” he didn’t understand, so he left after one week of mixing Siamese Dream with us as an engineer to work on John Wetton’s solo album. I think the, uh, John Wetton album went on and sold like, what, 10 times platinum? So he made the right call on that one. Actually is a...he died in a fiery car crash because he fucked with us. That’s just the way we get shit done in Chicago, right? Whatever we gotta do to get a fuckin’ president, get the fuck out of our way, we got a president now. The one guy booing Obama. Hey, man who’s booing Obama, I’d like you to identify yourself. Where’s the a booming O? - you’re the booing Obama guy? Are you related to McCain, what’s the deal? Or did you have sex with Sarah Palin?--that’s what it is. Alright, well there you go. I knew I’d hone in on it, I’m really psychic, I just go right there. Anyway, thank you for coming tonight, I’m sorry I’m a little sick, I can’t really help that part of it, but I’m really happy to perform for you. Thank you for singing along, making it easier for me. You are by far a better crowd than the first night we had in the Chicago Theatre, by far. I don’t know if those--I felt like I was on a, uh, like a, America’s Next Top Model thing, where they’re in the audience and we’re just on stage in the back, that’s what I felt like over there. That’s right, Chicago over there didn’t do us right, but Chicago tonight’s doing us right, thank you very much. (strums guitar a couple times) Yeah, I like--I like my acoustic so much I’d like to hear it (strums once), there you go. Um, anyway, like to introduce the group to you right now. First and foremost, Jeff Schroeder on guitar. On the double vee-olin, Ms. Gingger Shankar. To my far left...heh heh, Stephen of Oakland. To his right, heh, my left, Gabrial of the O.C. (Gabrial gives Billy a "WTF" look) No? No? (Gabriel flashes Billy an "L" and "A" with his fingers) What’s that, L.A.? You’re L.A.? Ah, I thought you guys were O.C. No Doubt wasn’t O.C.? Oh, they brought you on ‘cause the O.C. couldn’t get it done.
Gabrial: Soon as I came onboard, they went platinum.
BC: That’s right, (clapping on mic) that’s right. That's right.
Gabrial: (with his hand on Stephen's shoulder) Sorry, as soon as we came onboard. (laughing)
BC: Okay. To his right, my left, Kristopher Pooley. To his left, to my right, Mrs. Ginger Pooley. Lookin’ good tonight...like every night. A beautiful woman inside and out. Big heart, strong fist...unbreakable will, heh heh heh. To her right, my left, Ms. Lisa Harriton. Over here, behind Jeff’s left flank...heh heh, Mr. Jimmy Chamberlin of Joliet. And we’re joined tonight by a very special guest, he played with us for a while, he did a great job, Mr. Matt Walker.
Once Upon a Time (acoustic) (with Matt Walker)
Again, Again, Again (acoustic) (with Matt Walker)
BC: Thank you.
The Rose March (acoustic) (with Matt Walker)
BC: Thank you. Alright. That’s the end of the show, thank you. (crowd boos) How quickly you go to the boo button. Just like them Cubs fans, boooooo. Quick to boo, quick to lose. That’s right, don’t boo your team if you want ‘em to win the World Series, that’s my theory. Okay, okay, let’s skip the Cubs/Sox bullshit. Let’s talk 'Hawks, 'Hawks. Yeaaahh. Who’s better right now, the Kings or the Hawks?
Jeff: Ahhh, I don’t know.
BC: The Bruins?, heh heh heh. You just can’t go there.
Jeff: You guys got 12 million in goaltenders here, 12 million dollars in rotting goaltending. 12 million, 12 million.
BC: Who, the 'Hawks?
Jeff: (off mic) Right.
BC: Who’s the goaltender? Eddie, um...Eddie Belfour’s our goaltender!
Jeff: Cristobal and Cor--Mark Corman’s a....
BC: No no no no no, no no, Eddie Belfour is the 'Hawks goaltender.
Jeff: Dominik Hašek, Dominik Hašek.
BC: Eddie...Belfour. No no, Eddie Belfour. Right? You don’t care, you just don’t care about hockey. You barely care about us, why would you care about hockey? Heh heh. Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I’m not one to beg, as you know. That’s right, I don’t beg for shit. But, since this is a rare moment we’re together, one, two, I can’t really sing, not that you can notice, heh heh, ‘cause I’m so crafty (rimshot from Jimmy) but uh, heh heh heh heh, tricky. Uh, and since these next two songs are familiar to you, we’d like you to sing along and help me out. Is that too much to ask?
Guy in crowd: Kings suck!
BC: Haha, Kings still suck, yeah, that's, heh heh.... Okay. Okay, so uh, this first song, you might know this one. Even you, Mr. Crossed Arm Guy, “I’m not gonna get into this concert no matter what he says.” You know this one.
Today
> Bullet with Butterfly Wings
The Beginning is the End is the Beginning
Heavy Metal Machine / White Rabbit / White Horse
> Glass’ Theme
> Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun (with Matt Walker)