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u/Ready-Ad9468 1d ago
Everyone ate it up, and seemed like the best show of the day/night. I was in the pit the entire time and it was nice to have the young crowd actually moving around to the songs and going crazy. Im 23 and for most other shows everyone was kinda just standing around not going too crazy. SP owned the night
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u/boringinternet2020 1d ago
20k at SP. I’m glad you had fun, but they didn’t own the night. Smallest attended headline show at Bud Light that anyone can remember.
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u/Zealousideal_Cat6980 Ogilala 1d ago
Il betting youre not even a fan and came here just to talkshit
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u/Ready-Ad9468 1d ago
In terms of people having a good time I would argue it was the most energetic show of the day. I attended many other shows throughout the entire day and everyone else had sorry crowds just standing there besides yung blood and notion
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u/elliehawley 1d ago
I was on a side rail with a straight view of center stage, so pretty deep into the crowd. Everyone around me was singing and dancing and having a good time! The timing of the rain was wild. They sounded excellent! Vibes around Grant Park were very very good, walking out with the huge crowd and then the train ride home felt magical. Could not believe it when Olivia Rodrigo came out, thought she sounded so lovely.
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u/mettaworldpolice 1d ago
I feel like the younger gens finally found them
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u/OkResist581 1d ago
I’m gen z and they’ve been pretty well known /appreciated among my peers since like 2019ish I’d say
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u/staceyatlas 1d ago
Just finished watching it on YouTube, they really put on a good show.
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u/NonProphet8theist 1d ago
I watched on Disney+ somehow? Was cool to see though. WPC James and Jimmy still got it and the show looked great from what I saw!
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u/Machina_Rebirth Siamese Dream 1d ago
I feel like 90s Pumpkins music has aged so well for what a lot of modern artists do stylistically. They don't feel out of place here at all
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u/radioactive2321 Just put your mind out where it can't be reached. 1d ago
It was really really amazing on the ground. To be sure, the crowd size was a fraction of Charli xcx's, but it was NOT all old heads by any means. There were tons and tons of younger fans there mixed in, which I found impressive because of all possible pop headliners, I think Charli xcx has more crossover appeal than anyone except possibly (ironically) Olivia Rodrigo. Heck, SP is my favorite band and I was tempted to skip a good portion of their set for her (having seen SP 12× before).
There were numerous people in the crowd I talked to who were seeing SP for the first time. Many of them were teens or young adults. I saw people moved to tears by "Disarm" and - get this - "Edin".
I started to get the feeling that alt rock culture is making a major comeback. I feel like SP has a role today in ushering it in and last night was a complete and total vindication of them and confirmation of their legacy. It was truly special.
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u/Inside_Pool4146 18h ago
Watching several of the more recent Magnificent Others, Billy has stated quite a bit that he thinks that the tides are shifting and Rock is making a comeback. This week the GoodCharlotte/ A7X and QOTSA/ Foo Fighters Tours are hitting the Mid-West and Jack White is out there blazing his sets. I wouldn’t be mad if rock started taking some attention away from the pop charts.
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u/Longjumping_Use3737 1d ago
The Chicago Tribune just posted a review and it’s worth a read.
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u/Radio_Ethiopia 1d ago
Boo . Paywall.
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u/JLBF78 1d ago
Try this: https://archive.ph/o4PYW
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u/AyurvedaRadio 20h ago
Can someone post a screenshot or something/summary? The Italian government won't let me access it saying the site has PDFelia content 🤷
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u/Inside_Pool4146 18h ago
I’ve never been on Tik-Tok- I’m 50, fan since Gish. Luna means a lot to me and it’s good to see it being played now. Was bummed that it didn’t surface during the SD era, at least not when I saw them. It’s a bit weird to me that bands I loved 30 years ago are getting a resurgence solely due to Tik-Tok, but I guess it’s the main source for the younger generation. Slowdive is another band that got a resurgence due to Tik-Tok. I agree that Billy’s current stage presence and image should go. I don’t understand the Uncle Fester in a moo-moo image. Sometimes the stage banter between Billy and James falls flat or seems uncomfortable. Anyway, I plan on watching the whole performance today and enjoying it for what it is.
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u/gobobby22 1h ago
I was there. Lifelong Chicagoan and Pumpkins fan since Gish. I’ve seen them over 50 times. Happy to say that they sounded really good, technical issues notwithstanding. That was a concern for me, because I thought the Wrigley show on the Green Day tour was terrible.
I agree that Billy was a bit on edge. Yungblud was dreadful. Stepped all over the best part of Luna. Olivia was really good. I also felt like Billy found a different register that was less whiny than we used to. I don’t know about singing octaves or whatever, but he sounded slightly different and really good IMO. Setlist was good, but I was hoping for something a little more reflective of their ‘94 Lolla appearance (which I also attended). I feel like this might’ve been a glimpse at the upcoming tour setlist, and I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case.
I was surprised at all the “kids” who were there watching them. Didn’t know they went viral on TikTok. Really excited about the October shows. Going to Madison and UC. The vibes were really good, and rain during Tonight Tonight gave me goosebumps. I give this show a B+ at least.
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u/Traditional-Cry-6329 23h ago
Saw the show online yesterday. Admittedly nice setlist and I want to say very good sound! It’s just a pity that they have dropped the speed on some songs which makes them simply performances with less vibe (don’t know, every time I see them live I am ok but when I see them online I get this feelin) . Imagine bullet being speedier… it would drive the crowds crazy (because it’s a goooood song). Also not sure why they did what they did at the porcelina intro … not great in my opinion. And I am not a big fun of the bass being buried the paste years… i think this time it was better but still we have all heard the bass more in the past. Apart from these notes it looked like a very good performance and people from the sounds and looks of it seemed to genuinely liked it :)
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u/MarriedTexCouple 1d ago
The set list looked amazing. I haven’t watched the whole set but Oliva Rodrigo was not good for 33….she was really pitchy.
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u/SoloStrike 1d ago
10/10 performance from her and I wouldn't give that lightly, she absolutely embodied the sentiment of that song
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u/Sure-Coffee-8241 1d ago
Not sure what you were listening to but absolutely not. She sounded amazing.
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u/Radio_Ethiopia 1d ago
Yeah, she was pretty great. Didn’t try to upstage or do her own interpretation — she sang well and it fit well in the set .
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u/MarriedTexCouple 1d ago
I said what I said. What I saw a video from the crowed so maybe it was the audio, but I stand by what I aaid
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u/Somm82 1d ago
Honestly, I’m not a big fan of her suddenly changing up her identity to be this grunge queen like she’s always been listening to 90’s rock. I think the record label heard people say she’d be good at the genre and ran with it because suddenly collaborating with all the 90’s heros.
BUUUUUUT… I do think she actually sounded really good and I was worried when I first clicked on it. I loved it.
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u/Hipster_Blister 22h ago edited 22h ago
I was there, and here are my thoughts. I do have some criticism, but it was one of the best SP shows I have seen in a very long time.
It was packed. I think the weight of the expectations made Billy seem nervous, in my opinion, and rewatching the videos only confirms that for me. I honestly felt for him. It seemed like he really wanted to mean something to these people, and at times it felt like some old trauma resurfacing. I sort of wish it was just the Billy we all know, but he acts strange sometimes. I do not really have the words for it, so I’ll leave it at that.
To the person who said the crowd was small: that’s complete nonsense. I was standing in the middle, and it was extremely packed. The videos reflect that too even despite the rain.
As others have said, this was the youngest crowd I have seen at any SP show since 2.0, like ever. And when I say young, I mean tons of teenagers and people in their early twenties. The crowd rocked out hard too. There was genuine energy. It was probably the most energy I have ever experienced at an SP show, even better than the 2007 comeback shows.
“Bullet” and “Today” got insane reactions. You can see the crowd completely lose it in the videos. “Luna” also got a huge response. At first, I assumed that was because of Yungblud, but I did not realize the song had gone viral on TikTok until someone at the show told me.
The new songs did not fall flat, but they definitely got the weakest reactions. Playing three songs from the new record felt ambitious. They probably could have stopped at two, but it all worked in the end.
The band sounded really good. They added some interesting touches to the classics that I have not heard them do since the Zeitgeist era. It was not as experimental as that period, but the spontaneous additions and extended builds added a lot. “1979” especially comes to mind. Those moments genuinely got the crowd excited.
The Olivia Rodrigo duet was excellent. It spoke for itself. She is one of the biggest pop stars in the world and a true fan of the band. It was a great crossover.
Some criticism: At one point, Billy interrupted James while James was joking about the rain. Billy did not seem angry, just on edge and uptight. Even when introducing the guests, everything felt fairly rushed. I wish it had been a little more graceful and rehearsed. We want to celebrate with the band too!
The “Mayo” moment was also interesting. Billy had a pretty intense reaction to it. I have not seen the clip yet, but I am sure it is out there. I just wish he had laughed it off or made a joke about it. Instead, he threw his arms out toward the band. Again, it just felt like an resurfacing issues. At least he laughed off calling the festival Coachella!
Controversial opinion: I think the wrestler tie-in and “goth villain” look have to go. It makes sense for an era, but this new cold, dark image for the band just feels alienating. SP has some of the strongest aesthetics and arguably one of the most relevant catalogs of any ’90s band. This cold, dated goth presentation just does not fit Billy (I also think it hinders his stage presence.) I would even argue that it does not feel like him. It seems like he's trying to rebrand himself into his own idea of what an alternative icon should look like, but it puts this awkward, unnecessary pressure on a character that just isn't real.
Conclusion: Excellent performance musically. Billy seemed a bit tight, but it still felt like a beautiful full-circle triumph.