The Smashing Pumpkins 2008-11-11

November 11, 2008 – Washington, DC, US
Live performance by The Smashing Pumpkins
20th Anniversary tour
Date	November 11, 2008
Venue	Constitution Hall
Coordinates	38°53′35″N 77°2′30″W
Location	Washington, DC, US
Venue type	Concert hall
Capacity	3,746
Personnel	Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, Jeff Schroeder, Ginger Pooley, Lisa Harriton, Kristopher Pooley, Gingger Shankar, Stephen Bradley, Gabrial McNair
Order of bands	The Smashing Pumpkins
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Setlist

1. (Intro) (prerecorded)
2. "Roctopus" 
3. "Everybody Come Clap Your Hands" [The Searchers] 
4. "Tarantula" 
5. "G.L.O.W." 
6. "Kill Your Parents" 
   1. "Siva" [10:27] 
7. "Eye" 
8. "Mayonaise" 
9. "Tonight, Tonight" 
10. "Speed Kills" 
11. "Transformer" 
12. "Superchrist" 
13. "United States" [12:29] 
    1. "The Star-Spangled Banner" [Francis Scott Key] (tease) 
14. "Once Upon a Time" (acoustic) 
15. "Again, Again, Again (The Crux)" (acoustic) 
16. "The Rose March" (acoustic) 
17. "Geek U.S.A." (tease) 
18. "Black Diamond" [Kiss] (tease) 
19. "Today" 
20. "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" 
21. "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" 
22. "Heavy Metal Machine" [11:40] 
    1. "White Rabbit" [Jefferson Airplane] (tease) 
    2. "White Horse" [Laid Back] (tease) 
    3. "Stranglehold" [Ted Nugent] (tease) 
    4. "Tom Sawyer" [Rush] (tease) 
    5. "YYZ" [Rush] (tease) 
23. "Glass' Theme" 
24. "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" [Pink Floyd] [20:51] 

Encore

25. "We Only Come Out at Night" 
26. "Everything Is Beautiful" [Ray Stevens] 

Banter

2008 Intro
Roctopus (Jimmy solo)
> Everybody Come Clap Your Hands
Tarantula
> G.L.O.W.
> Kill Your Parents
> Siva
Eye
> Mayonaise
Tonight, Tonight
> Speed Kills
Transformer
Superchrist
> United States / Star Spangled Banner
BC: Thank you very much, thank you. ... Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, heh heh. (deep voice) Thank you. (normal voice) Alright. You’ve made it halfway through the show. You doin’ alright so far? Keep your focus. Don’t lose sight of the--of the goal here. Change has come. Change has come to the Smashing Pumpkins. Hahaha. ...
Once Upon a Time (acoustic)
Again, Again, Again (acoustic)
BC: Thank you. We’re very (coughs)--excuse me, got a little frog. We’re very honored to open for the Smashing Pumpkins, it’s very nice of ‘em to offer us the opening slot. We’re a new band...Blue Lightning, Blue Lightning, remember that name. New record comin’ out. Can’t Stop the Music, that’s the title of our first album. And uh, this is a song from Can’t Stop the Music. That’s right. Gonna hit the streets hard.
The Rose March (acoustic)
BC: (making popping noises with his mouth?). Here, I’ll play Geek U.S.A.
Geek U.S.A. (tease - popping noises)
BC: How was that? It's good. (couple more noises), that’s the ending, (more noises). That’s how I wrote the song, (more noises), just jammed it like this. Nah, I like the sitting down, relax. Sit down, relax, it’s okay, we got time, we got all the time in the world. Really, relax, it’s okay, seriously, just relax, it’s good, it’s good. We all need to relax a little bit. It’s dry. Dry air, I guess. Got all the time in the world for you, all the time in the world. Once I’m properly hydrated, gonna move you. Now I was raised a Catholic, you know. Yeah, go Catholics. We’re comin’ back. Anyway, heh heh...once we sort out our problems in the Middle East, uh, heh heh heh heh, haha. Anyway, you know in church and - I don’t know, was anyone raised Catholic? There you go. You know in church, you know, you turn to the person, “Peace be with you,” you know? “Peace be with you.” You could turn to the person next to you, “Peace be with you.” If you’re standing, you could look at the person sitting down and say “Peace be with you,” and they could look up at you, “Peace with you, brother.” That’s right. That’s right, it’s a democracy. Somebody just yelled, “Play a song.” You know, that never occurred to me until just right now. Sometimes I get up here and I think, “What am I doing up here? Oh yeah, play a song.”
Black Diamond (tease - Jeff is doodling on the intro while Billy talks)
BC: My friend, it’s all about hydration. Is it like a presidential ball tonight, what’s the hurry? Let’s just relax. Relax over here, section A. Heh heh heh. Heh heh hahaha.
Jeff: (off mic) That's for Toby's birthday.
BC: We’d like to wish Toby, our sound man, a happy birthday. Happy birthday, Toby. (singing to tune of Black Diamond) Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, Toby. Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, Toby. (speaking) He’s out in the streets for a livin'. Not--actually, (laughing) not really. Anyway. Haha.
Today (abandoned after 7 or 8 notes)
BC: No no no no no no no no no no no, relax, relax, relax. You can’t change your mind now. You gotta go back to relaxing. You can’t leap to your feet in some sort of sentimental orgasm. Sit your ass back down and relax. We’re all relaxed, just relax.
Today
> Bullet with Butterfly Wings
The Beginning is the End is the Beginning
> Heavy Metal Machine / White Rabbit / White Horse / Stranglehold / Tom Sawyer / YYZ
> Glass’ Theme
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
[encore break]
We Only Come Out at Night
> Everything Is Beautiful
BC: Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the end of the show. Yes. That’s the end of the show. Heh heh. But the show goes on, right, Jimmy?
Jimmy: Forever.
BC: Yes. Like for example, the party in my hotel room tonight, the show will go on there.
Jimmy: The all nighter.
BC: All night long, maybe with you. Yeaaah.
Jimmy: She’ll be there.
BC: Miss Virginia right here, 2007. Heh heh.
Jimmy: She’s already there.
BC: Excuse me?
Jimmy: She’s already there...in her mind.
BC: Heh heh, she’s already in the party. We hope you’ve had a good time. Yeah. We can tell you’ve had a good time ‘cause you’ve got big smiles on your faces, like this man here, he’s got a big smile. Yes, you, heh heh. God bless you, sir. God bless each and everyone of you. We’d like to dedicate this last song to you - oh, wait, man with the middle fingers. Hold on, hold on, hold on, he’s so angry, what, what’s wrong? Everything is beautiful. Hold on, let this man speak. (Lisa and Kris stop playing)
Jeff: (off mic) Oh ho ho no.
BC: We used to rock, I believe we just rocked. Past tense. I didn’t go to college but that sounded like past tense, I believe we just rocked. We did just rock. Whoa, whoa, whoa, he’s got more to say, hold on, hold on. Tucker Carlson from CNN, hold on.
Jimmy: Haha!
BC: Now we’re corny? No, we’re not from Iowa, we’re from Chicago, we’re more known for our beef. Corny. Corny! That’s an old word, what does that mean?
Jimmy: I don’t even know.
BC: My friend, it’s show business. Show...business, show...business.
Jimmy: I think--
BC: Where is James Iha?
Jimmy: I think corny means bandanna.
BC: Wait, he wants to know where James Iha is. Where is James Iha, do you know where James Iha is?
Jimmy: Wait, there he is!
BC: Right there, he’s right there! Come on up, James.
Jimmy: Fucking Iha!
BC: Come on, James! Yes, you in the hat, come on, come on up here, James. James Iha.
Jimmy: No, that’s James Iha (pronounced eye-ha).
BC: No, James, come on up, come on up. This man wants us to rock, come on, let’s rock. Come on up here, young lady. Come on. Help her up there, my friend. There we go. There we go, there we go, you said you wanted James Iha, here she is. Come on up here, James. What d’you been doin’? What d’you been doin’? What d’you been doin’ since the band broke up?
Girl from crowd: I love you.
BC: No, no, you - can you answer my question please? This is like the old days where we just don’t communicate. Can you answer my question please, what d’you been doin’ since the band broke up?
Girl from crowd: I’ve been selling jewelry.
BC: Well, I can understand why you don’t want to be in the band anymore. Okay, thank you very much, James. (singing) Everything is beautiful (Lisa and Kris start playing again) in its own way. Everyone is beautiful in their own way. (speaking) Ladies and gentlemen...
Jeff: (off mic) They're leaving!
BC: ...ladies and gentlemen...20 plus years...20 plus years. They went by like that.
Jimmy: Seems like only yesterday.
BC: And you know what, Jimmy? I remember that first time we sat down and had a meeting and we said, “Let’s sell out.”
Jimmy: No, you know what we said? “Everything is beautiful.”
BC: No no, we said, no no, af - that was the second thing we said.
Jimmy: After, oh, after that, oh, right. Alright.
BC: The first thing we said was “Let’s sell out. How do we create a rock and roll machine and sell out, huh?” Do you remember that?
Jimmy: Yes.
BC: 1988, we were sittin’ there.
Jimmy: Yup, just like it was yesterday.
BC: And here we are 20 years later, sellin’ out...
Jimmy: Still.
BC: ...just selling it out, givin’ it all away for free.
Jimmy: Playin’ all our hits.
BC: That’s right. Because a band that would sell out, well, they’d play all their hits, right?
Jimmy: Every one of ‘em.
BC: Every one of ‘em. Because -
Jimmy: And write no new music.
BC: Yes. They wouldn’t try this two song - a two day format with all the songs spread out, that would be too -
Jimmy: They wouldn’t play 48 different songs for their fans over two nights.
BC: Yes, that’s right, that’s right.
Jimmy: And work their asses off for three weeks rehearsing because they didn’t give a fuck.
BC: No no, that’s not the sellout plan, Jimmy. That’s not the sellout plan, my friend. That’s not how you get elected around here. Change, my friend, change, change has come to this band.
Jimmy: Yes we can.
BC: Yes we can, yes, we - c’mon, together. Yes we can, there you go. (singing) Everything is beautiful in its own way. (speaking over kazoo echoing of lyrics) Together. That’s right, keep it tight. Just like we rehearsed. (singing) Everyone is beautiful in their own way. (speaking) Yes, all of you. Even you, hot baseball man, even you, you are beautiful, god bless you, my friend, god bless you. God bless you, god bless you, god bless everybody, god bless everyone. Even angry Tucker Carlson man, god bless you, god bless you. Ladies and gentlemen...we know we’re like one of those cousins that acts all weird at the party, okay, we get that, we get that, but 20 years later, we’re still here...we’re still here...thank you. That’s it, that’s the end of the show. God bless you, goodnight.

Photos and memorabilia

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