The Smashing Pumpkins 1996-05-15

May 15, 1996 – London, UK
Live performance by The Smashing Pumpkins
Infinite Sadness tour
Date	May 15, 1996
Venue	Brixton Academy
Coordinates	51°27′54″N 0°6′54″W
Location	London, UK
Venue type	Concert hall
Capacity	4,921
Personnel	Billy Corgan, James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky, Jimmy Chamberlin, Jonathan Melvoin
Order of bands	The Smashing Pumpkins
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Eleven songs from this show ("Tonight, Tonight", "1979", "Zero", "Here Is No Why", "To Forgive", "Thru the Eyes of Ruby", "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans / Rocket", "Disarm", "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "Jellybelly" and "Silverfuck") are featured on the bonus DVD included with the 2012 Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness reissue.

Full performance

Setlist[edit | edit source]

Set one[edit | edit source]

"Tonight, Tonight" (acoustic)
"In the Arms of Sleep" (acoustic)
"Cupid de Locke" (acoustic)
"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" [The Beatles] (tease) (acoustic)
"Thirty-Three" (acoustic)
"Rocket" (acoustic)
"Soma" (acoustic)
"Take Me Down" (acoustic) (final performance)
"1979" (acoustic)
"Beautiful"
"Muzzle" (abandoned) (acoustic)
"Muzzle" (acoustic)

Notes[edit | edit source]

Last performance of "Soma" until 1999-04-10
Last performance of "Cupid de Locke" until 2008-11-04
Last full performance of "Beautiful" until 2015-06-19
Final full performance of "Take Me Down"

Banter[edit | edit source]

D’arcy: Hi. (taps mic) Hello? Good evening.
Iha: Hello.
BC: (sort of singing) Hello.
Iha: Let’s be really mellow.
BC: I don’t know. Yeah, there's a breeze coming from somewhere, somebody.
D’arcy: Everybody breathe really hard, it's too cold.
Iha: A bit chilly.
BC: Good evening.
Tonight, Tonight (abandoned after 5 seconds)
BC: Ah, I see I screwed up already. I'll start over.
Tonight, Tonight (acoustic)
D’arcy: Thank you very much.
BC: Thanks. Very happy to be here again.
In the Arms of Sleep (acoustic)
(Billy takes off his hat and the crowd cheers)
BC: My head thanks you.
Cupid de Locke (acoustic)
Norwegian Wood (tease) (acoustic)
Thirty-three (acoustic)
BC: Thank you.
Rocket (acoustic)
BC: Thanks.
Iha: Thank you.
Soma (acoustic)
BC: Thank you very much.
Take Me Down (acoustic)
Iha: We're gonna rock just a little bit. But you gotta wait, we're gonna play another electric set though.
BC: Everyone thought we were gonna do the rock part first, that's why everyone's so confused.
Iha: Oh, oh. (1979 drums start) Dance!
1979 (acoustic)
D’arcy: Jimmy, I gotta say that was great, you sounded just like--you sounded just like the tape. It was great!
BC: Like to say hello again to all the people that were at Wembley last night. Just for the sake of the people standing around you, try to pretend that you haven't heard these songs before. It'd help the show, really, I promise.
Beautiful
BC: It was interesting!
D’arcy: Yeah, I think it was really creative.
BC: It was really interesting.
Iha: (British accent) That one was a bit cheeky, we gave you the cheeky version of Beautiful.
D’arcy: That was the arty version.
Iha: (British accent) That was the Scouse version of cheek--um, Beautiful, a bit cheeky to give people.
BC: There was some fib--there were certainly some fibbly bits in that one. Okay, one more song and then we're gonna go bye bye, so...you can then converse as much as you'd like. We don't wanna get in the way of your conversation.
Muzzle (abandoned after first 4 words)
BC: You messed up, you messed up, didn't you?
Iha: I came in four bars interpretively early.
D’arcy: I didn't even know what song it was.
BC: (British accent) “And then the show completely fell apart. Corgan bared his soul once again like a maniac. It was just like the clown suit incident all over.”
Iha: (British accent) There they were like the Beatles and [unintelligible word], blowing every chord change left and right.” We’re terribly sorry.
BC: (British accent) Heh, “Tonight was a revelation.”
Iha: (British accent) “Tonight was a revelation they're absolute crap.”
Muzzle (acoustic)
D’arcy: Thank you.
[set break]
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Intro
> Where Boys Fear to Tread
> Zero
> Fuck You
D’arcy: Everybody get up off the floor in the front here and you're all okay? Don't make jokes about dying. No, seriously, I--I saw a bunch of people go down in the front, is everybody off the floor? Really, look--I mean look around you, make sure.
Here Is No Why
To Forgive
> Today
Thru the Eyes of Ruby
Porcelina of the Vast Oceans / Rocket
> Bodies
Boys Don't Cry (acoustic tease, Iha solo - 1 verse + chorus)
> Disarm (acoustic)
> Circus tape
> Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Cherub Rock
Iha: Thanks.
[encore break]
Iha: Thank you, thank you. You've been most kind. Now, I'd like to ask a question. Does this--now watch--does this mean anything to you? Just think, think for a moment where you've seen that image before. Hey, heh, don’t throw shit. Just remember this, where have you seen this before? Just think, just think.
Firestarter (tease)
Iha: I’m the trouble starter, punking instigator. I’m the fear addicted, danger illustrated. I’m the firestarter, twisted firestarter. You’re the firestarter, twisted firestarter. (screaming) I’m fucking insane ‘cause I’m [unintelligible], you motherfucker!! A firestarter, you’re the firestarter!!!! I’m the firestarter, punking instigator, I’m the firestarter, punking instigator, [unintelligible screaming]!! (speaking) I’m sorry, I just lost my mind for a minute. I’m the bitch you hated, filth incinerated!! (tease ends) I just lost my mind for a minute, I’m sorry.
BC: Thank you, firestarter. We're all firestarters, you know what I'm saying?
X.Y.U.
[encore break]
Iha: Thanks. Now, when I lost my mind there for a minute, we were not mocking the firestarter. We--that was a tribute to the Prodigy. I’m just--I just don't, I'm obsessed with the firestarter, what is the firestarter? Heh. Is it the everyman? Yes, you're pointing at me, I'm the everyman, you’re the everyman, I’m crazy, I’m the firestarter!!
BC: (over Iha above) James, James, James... (Iha is done talking) James, let it go, heh, let it go.
Iha: I will not say another word about firestarters.
BC: You know, in a way it wasn't really that funny the first time and it's not getting funnier, so....
Iha: Can we just--one more time, let’s do it, come on, one, two, three, come on, fire--firestarter! I’m kidding.
BC: Um, like to say hi to those people up there, hi. I can't see you, but uh...there you are, hi. Heh, that's it, that's all you get, just a little light, a flash and.... We'd like to thank you for being here and putting up with the eternal rock show. This is pretty much the last time we're gonna do this, it’s--we did this about twenty times and uh, it's taxing on the band as well as the audience, so we thank you, we hope you enjoy it for what it is trying to do. Entertain without boring, enlighten without stunning.
Iha: (British accent) Scally boys, that's what they are! Heh.
BC: Heh, yeah, so thanks again, we appreciate it. And seeing as this is our last U.K. concert for a while, like to thank you again for everything, um, heh heh, it's great, I mean, we really appreciate it and we thank you.
Mayonaise
BC: God bless you, thank you, goodnight.
[encore break]
Iha: Thank you. We'd now like to do something else we've never done before. We're gonna play our first two albums in order.
BC: We hope you have time, it takes about, mm, two hours.
Jellybelly
> Silverfuck / Space Jam / Eye / Dose
> Farewell and Goodnight
(below is over piano outro)
D’arcy: Goodnight, thank you.
BC: Thank you!
Iha: Goodnight everybody, thanks for coming out, thanks for staying so long. Drive home safe, heh, bye.
> Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (tease)
[bow]
Iha: Thanks! Goodnight.

Setlist[edit | edit source]

Set one[edit | edit source]

Set two[edit | edit source]

Encore one[edit | edit source]

Encore two[edit | edit source]

Encore three[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

Banter[edit | edit source]