The Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer take on Glasgow
The powerhouses transcend expectations at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro Arena.
Photo: Press
A double bill almost too good to be true: the gothic and the geeky. The rockers and the alt-ers. The Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer. The pair attracted a massive crowd to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro last Wednesday evening and it was a show for the books.
With doors opening at 6:30pm and support band Teen Mortgage taking to stage at the same time, there was a real sense of urgency as thousands excitedly waited until it was their turn to get in. Only some made it in on time and, for the rest of us, the night began with the legendary Weezer.
They wasted no time jumping straight into My Name Is Jonas followed by classic Beverly Hills. A set of all star hits with no filler. As the crowd grew and grew, Weezer were larger than life.
Rivers Cuomo (vocals and guitar) noted how “Awesome” it was “to be out with The Smashing Pumpkins” he shared that they “went for a meal last night at a Japanese restaurant and came here and saw Doja Cat”. Commending her show, he added “I gotta up my twerk game”. Near the front of the crowd, shouts of “show us your twerk” could be heard. Rivers obliged and walked to the back of the stage, turned around and attempted to twerk. While Doja has nothing to worry about anytime soon, it certainly entertained the crowd that night.
Off the back of this momentum, the four-piece pleased the room by saying “We’re now gonna do a song by the man himself, Bill” they launched into Celebrity Skin by Hole. Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan worked on the Celebrity Skin album with Hole’s Courtney Love. He co-wrote five and played bass on two of the tracks, on what is widely regarded as the Californian band’s best work.
Closing out with fan-favourite Buddy Holly to what was now a packed room. Weezer were a joy to watch live and succeeded in boosting energy through the roof.
As the lights dimmed and the instrumental ATUM played through the speakers, everyone hurried back to their seats and found a new spot in the crowd. White spotlights broke through the darkness as The Smashing Pumpkins measuredly walked on stage — with all the calmness a career spanning almost four decades allows.
Tonight’s line-up consisted of some original and some new members: James Iha (guitar), Kiki Wong (guitar), Jimmy Chamberlain (drums), Jack Bates (bass), Katie Cole (vocals) and Billy Corgan (vocals and guitar).
Before this tour began, there was uncertainty as to what big tracks would be on the setlist with Billy stating in an interview “I don’t play any songs I don’t want to play. I don’t care if they’re a classic or not”. Luckily, Today made the list of tracks he wanted to play. As it began tonight, it was only natural that the crowd make the otherworldly scream they did. This was a classic they wanted to hear.
Billy broke the reverie as he announced “Glasgow, we are happy to be here”. The lighting followed suit as it took a more colourful twinkle for Spellbinding, from 2023 album ATUM. Putting his guitar down for the first time all night, the frontman stalked around the stage for Ava Adore. The audience relished every moment and sang the lyrics “We must never be apart” at the top of their lungs.
Mayonnaise was introduced by Billy, who stated the album it hails from (Siamese Dream) is the “soundtrack for sad fucks around the world”. He continued, “So this is a song James and I wrote back in 1992, we hope you enjoy it”. Enjoy it? We rejoiced in it! Phones were raised to record a moment too monumental to not be revisited forever.
A personal favourite and the song that this The World is a Vampire tour took its name from — Bullet With Butterfly Wings — saw two separate mosh pits break out near the front of the audience while, at the same time, crowd surfers were passed from hand to hand on their way towards the barrier.
Empires gave new member of the band and Instagram sensation Kiki Wong time to shine with an epic guitar solo. Kiki was picked from a pool of applicants well in the thousands and it’s clear to see why. Her talent and stage presence are otherworldly and she fits perfectly into this line-up.
A beautiful moment followed as Bill’s children, Augustus and Philomena, took to the stage during Beguiled. Philomena danced and waved at the crowd while Augustus took a more reserved approach as he strummed at a toy wooden guitar in the style of his dad.
The show went on to feature Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness smash hits 1979 and Jellybelly as well as more recent track Birch Grove.
Zero drew the night to a close and it was hard for all to comprehend what had just been witnessed. Equally haunting and upbeat, the two unlikely co-headliners made for the perfect balance. A night that will be remembered for years to come by all present.