In September the Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness tour came to the Providence Civic Center in Rhode Island. Grant Lee Buffalo opened the show and performed five excellent songs from the album "Cooperolilis." Afterwards, the lights went out and the beautiful chords of a piano filled the Center as front-man Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy, touring drummer Matt Walker of Filter, and touring keyboardist Dennis Flemion of the Frogs entered. Matt and Dennis joined to finish the tour after the tragic death of keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin and the subsequent firing of Jimmy Chamberlin.

As the collaboration of violins, cellos, and distorted guitars began the Pumpkins' hit song "Tonight, Tonight," two large curtains fell revealing a cone of lights behind the band. A few awesome songs later, as the acoustic guitar was handed to Billy, he shouted to the audience, "This ought to calm you guys down," and everyone sang along with him, "Disarm you with a smile/and leave you like they left me here/to wither in denial ..." The peace didn't last for long because as soon as the beautiful chords of "Disarm" ended, the powerful menacing distortion of "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" began. By the time Billy hit the chorus, "Despite all my rage/I'm still just a rat in a cage," the crowd was moshing and crowd surfing again.

Two-and-a-half hours, twenty-six songs (and about ten encores) later, the Smashing Pumpkins ended their concert with their song "X.Y.U." off Mellon Collie. " ... There is no going back/this wasn't meant to last/this wasn't meant to last/this hell on earth/we are meant to serve/and she will never learn/bye bye, baby, good-bye." These are the last few lines of "X.Y.U." If you ever get a chance to see the Smashing Pumpkins, go, because they really know how to rock a crowd, and I promise you will go home pleased. I know I was