The Smashing Pumpkins at the Schottenstein Center / Value City Arena
Concert Review and Photo Gallery – As Rome Burns
by Cassandra Lee
There are few bands that can tap into ‘90s nostalgia as intensely as The Smashing Pumpkins. As the opening sound of their first song “1979” echoed through the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on the opening night of their tour, thousands of fans across multiple generations melted together in the dreamy sound of Billy Corgan’s iconic voice. Corgan, original members James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin, and newer members Kiki Wong and Jack Bates serenaded us with thirty-two songs broken into two sets with a short intermission and wardrobe change.
The first set was dedicated to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The tour celebrates the legacy of the album, which was released thirty-one years ago. I was twelve years old when it came out. I was lucky enough to see that album release tour in the fall of 1995 in Los Angeles. And last Wednesday… I felt like I was twelve again.
They played most hits from Mellon Collie, along with some songs that have not been played live since 2007 and 2008. They ended the first set with an emotional rendition of the title track, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.” The second set went deep, featuring live debuts of several songs like “Sojourner” and “Jesus is the Sun,” mingled with alternative classics like “Mayonaise,” “Disarm,” and “Cherub Rock.”
Also true to form, their stage design and imagery were just as beautiful, impactful, and nostalgic as their sound and presence. Celestial images, bold typography, and colorful handwritten words fell across the screen behind them as they played. Billy joked early on that many in attendance were probably not even born when Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was first released. That may be true, Billy, but some of us have been here all along.
For those of us who have followed the Pumpkins’ career since the beginning — through the angst of our youth and young adult years in the 90s and early 2000s — last Wednesday’s show (and anytime we hear one of their 13 albums, particularly Mellon Collie) we are taken straight into a time machine. Very few bands or albums truly deserve the credit for capturing the essence of a music era or generation and the Pumpkins’ encompass that. We are able to recall, see, smell, and feel so clearly such sentimental memories of the 1990s through albums like Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and through the unforgettable sound of the one and only Smashing Pumpkins.
On a more personal note, I was fortunate to experience the VIP treatment thanks to a generous gift. The tour offers various VIP tiers featuring one-of-a-kind gifts. The highest tier includes an intimate acoustic set and a Q&A inside a Mellon Collie-themed room alongside unique, never-before-seen Pumpkins memorabilia that VIP guests can access all evening. There is a strict “no pictures or video” policy during the acoustic set and Q&A—and rightly so. The lack of phone-screen fiddling allowed everyone to be fully present for a once-in-a-lifetime session with one of rock’s most significant bands.
During the acoustic set in Columbus they covered three songs, including James Iha doing a Tom Petty cover. Billy, James, and Jimmy answered pre-screened questions along with a few live audience inquiries. They responded authentically, showing off the refreshing wit and banter that comes with being bandmates for over 35 years as they reminisced about their early days in the mid-to-late ’80s and early ’90s music scene in Chicago. The band hits East Coast venues this week and more Midwest locations in the coming week.
Setlist courtesy of setlist.fm
The Smashing Pumpkins Setlist
September 30th, 2026
Schottenstein Center / Value City Arena, Columbus, OH, USA
Set I – Mellon Collie set:
1979
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Cupid de Locke (1st time played since 2008)
Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
Jellybelly
Bodies
Galapogos (1st time played since 2008)
Thirty-Three
Tonight, Tonight
Here Is No Why (with band introductions)
To Forgive
Fuck You (An Ode to No One) (1st time played since 2007)
Zero (with “Tales of a Scorched Earth” tease)
Muzzle
By Starlight (1st time played since 2010)
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1st time played since 2018)
Set II:
“Machina, Machina” (live debut)
Sojourner (live debut)
Edin
Pentagrams
Disarm (with “Blew Away” intro tease)
Ava Adore
War Dreams of Itself
Mayonaise
Dorian
As Rome Burns (1st time played since 2010)
Stand Inside Your Love
Today
Cherub Rock
Jesus Is the Sun (live debut)
The Everlasting Gaze
Superchrist (1st time since 2019)
Opening show of the ‘Rats in a Cage’ tour
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