Quite Possibly the greatest concert i've ever seen!!!

Hope to see you guys again real soon

I had a great time and wanted to share the pictures I took which can be found http://miraisometimes.com/. Not the world's greatest but hey, it's something.

I created an account for the sole purpose of saying Thank You for covering Couldn't Stand The Weather by SRV. The rest of the show was awesome as well.

"We are all rock and roll machines !" That was Billy Corgan's anthem of the night, making us all think of something we might never be, or ever hope to experience ! It was in the middle of this dramatic "Rock & Roll" show that Mr Corgan proclaimed us all -Himself, the band (Guitarist Jeff Schroeder, Bassist Ginger Reyes, Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin) and his followers a part of his show. Of course the evening didn't start there. It was a rescheduled show from Nov 2, 07 (With Drummer Chamberlin taking some medical time off). When the lights went down in Austin, the band showed and Billy and the rest of his mates took off on a high flying ride of "USA". An awesome display of lights, camera, action, spitting out venom that most bands would only dream of getting bit by. At the end of the spectacular opening Billy exclaimed "I'm glad there are still people that want to hear live music ! " The venue "The Backyard" in the SW corner of Austin and hid between HWY 71 and the Shops at the Galleria is an urban mixture outdoor concert hall. I had to laugh when the parking attendant explained to me, "Parking is straight ahead - If you follow the guy in front of you and turn right you'll be going to the city council meeting !" Well, to tell you the truth I did go to a city council meeting but it was a different type and cause meeting of the minds, it was for rock & roll, and all the issues came out. With the meeting started Billy and the rest of the band fired off hit after hit, mixing older songs with new titles, fading memories with new inspirations. Just at that point the show slowed for a two song accoustic set. The anthem "1979" and it's sister song "Perfect", and it was ! Playing songs from early to present hitting classics as Tonight, Tonight, Bullet, Zero, Starla, Hummer, Stand Inside Your Love, & Today. The magic of the night was a revamped version of "Heavy Metal Machine" in which Billy took us into another demension with the band. The song never ended so it seemed, you wanted more and more. It was a display of talent one rarely gets to see on stage, and so it was, Billy holding us in his hand touching each and everyone of us in his own way. After the 1st encore the Pumpkins came out to do one more show. The front man for the Frogs was lead out onstage and Billy told a story about their meeting back in Madison, Wi in 1990 during the Pumpkins 1st CD recording. What followed was a play down with Billy taking on bass and The Frogs lead man doing the lead on "Taxman". It was a fun time and a moment shared by the band with the fans. I thought I was in a hotel room watching as the two went at it, chord after chord, what a talent they both have ! In the end, "Disarm" was the final call. After 2 hours and 20 minutes and the final note, Billy had to let everyone know, this was the last song. We didn't want to leave, after an experience like that you try to hold onto the moment put that in your mind and continue on with life knowing for one night "We were all ROCK & ROLL MACHINES !"

I've seen SP so many times that I really can't remember all of them. When they called it quits in a way so did I with my unhealthy SP fandom. Still, I was excited when Zeitgeist came out and even more excited to see them again (even in this lineup). The time between album release and Austin's show kind of lessened my excitement. So as I battled the rush hour traffic from Austin to the Backyard I was cautiously optimistic. I wondered if I could really lose myself in their music as I had done so many times before. I wondered that "the more I changed, the less I..." felt. Well, I'm glad to know that's not the case. the nostalgia returned...the hope returned at the first note of United States. The setlist will be posted soon I'm sure but for the first hour or so it just seemed like perfection. To hear Drown, Starla and Hummer so close together with perfect sound and an enthusiatic and appreciative crowd was just insane. I can't believe how talented BC and JC are...and well, Jeff and Ginger held their own too.

It was a great night.

Capped by a surprise appearance at the end by the Frogs lead singer (sorry I forgot his name). Gone was his big hair. He sported a bald head like BC. But they improvised for 10 minutes or so. Great stuff. I felt lucky to be there. Show ended on an SP note however with a beautiful rendention of Disarm. Pretty much a solo effort on that one by Corgan.

All in all it was more than I expected and once again SP got me.

Hopefully I'll catch you guys again. Thanks for coming to Austin.