The Smashing Pumpkins Are One of Music’s Most Enduring Acts

Review and live photos from The World Is a Vampire Tour

Last night in New Jersey, The Smashing Pumpkins packed the PNC Bank Arts Center and proved why they’re one of music most enduring acts. The group, led by frontman Billy Corgan, has been performing for 25 years. Their tunes have stood the test of time, and the fact that they’re still packing some of the biggest venues across the country is a testament to continued creativity, and the faithfulness of their fans.

After dynamic opening sets from Rival Sons and Interpol, The Smashing Pumpkins took the stage to cap off the stacked bill. The kicked things off with “The Everlasting Gaze” from their 2000 album Machina/The Machines of God. They followed it up with their 2007 banger “Doomsday Clock.” From their, the band proceed to play a career-spanning setlist comprised of songs from eight of their studio albums.

Midway through the set, they unleashed “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” which features this tour’s namesake in the chorus. The seminal song is a staple in their catalog, and has dominated rock radio for over two decades. All these years later, it still elicits an eruption from the crowd when Corgan utters the first line.