Through the puddled parking lot of the Pond, alterno-teens trekked toward perhaps the only concert worth seeing in Orange County. Inside, pitch black, the crowd roared, whistled and applauded - a lot of fuss over some Garbage. Shirley Manson's voice echoed melodically into the darkness as the screams were silenced. The opening act for the much anticipated Smashing Pumpkins show, Garbage, was a show unto itself. Manson's smooth stylings included the ever popular Stupid Girl, as well as I'm Only Happy When It Rains, Queer and Vow. But wait, that's not all... under the iridescent glimmer of eerie orange and purple lights, Manson's crew crooned to some new tunage, including the dark yet dazzling #1 Crush from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack. Not the least bit trashy, Garbage was awesome beginning to an incredible night in Anaheim. Geffen's web site (also the band's label) sums their act up in one sentence..."Garbage is pop music kissed by chaos where hooks, grooves and noise collide."
After a brief interlude of opera music, the Pumpkins began to jam, rousting the crowd from slumber. Almost in unison, the alternos stood up and began to sway and writhe, as pathetic O.C.ers often do. (Dancing is far too enthusiastic for most.) As Corgan's voice quavered and spun, lights flooded the darkness with blinding bursts of energy. Patches of red-green-blue-purple-white fell on the squinting eyes of Billy's biggest fans.
SP's dynamic displays included Corgan Classics like Today, Muzzle, Bullet with Butterfly Wings and Zero, but also included some of the more interesting but lesser known songs...x.y.u, Porcelina, and from the new album, Aeroplane. As Corgan's unique vocals flowed through 33, one presumably intoxicated alterno-punk tossed a towel at Corgan, stopping the show. Angered, Billy threatened to leave and also eluded to what might happen if 12,000 fans were to find the individual who prematurely ended the show. Billy bounced back into the beat, but never finished 33. Another disappointment was not hearing 1979, but we can't have everything, can we?
One of the more interesting parts of the show was the psychedelic trip into SP's sound. For 45 minutes, the Pumpkins went instrumental, as star bursts, and hippie swirls spun on the screens. Reminiscent of the Grateful Dead or Pink Floyd, this display was not well-received by the crowd. "Play a SONG!" was shouted more than once and many shuffled slowly towards the exits, hoping the "trip" would end before they actually got outside the building. It was a true test of how deeply devoted the fans were to Billy's Bunch.
All in all, the show was high-energy Pumpkin perfection. In a word, Smashing! Billy summed it up himself at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards... "We've had an interesting year.... We lost a friend. We lost a drummer. But I hope we haven't lost any fans. To anyone who wonders, we're fine."
Without a doubt, they are fine.
