After more than thirty years, you could be wondering whether Jane’s Addiction and The Smashing Pumpkins are past their prime. But judging by their performances as part of Billy Corgan’s global-scaling The World Is A Vampire Festival, they’re showing no signs of slowing down.
This wasn’t a concert. Let’s get that out of the way first. This was a one-venue festival, running through Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion and kicking off in the afternoon before wrapping up around 11 PM. Jane’s Addiction and The Smashing Pumpkins, two of the most iconic rock bands of the 90s, were the two big attractions here but Aussies Battlesnake and Amy & The Sniffers held their own well.
In fact, Amyl & The Sniffers in particular looked right at home on the lineup, aligned perfectly with the guitar-licking, crunchy rock & roll that the bigger bands are known for. And peppered in between? Oddly enough, short wrestling matches between Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance and the Wrestling Alliance of Australia. The festival was nowhere near short of on-stage theatrics, even if none of that seemed to matter once the two biggest names in the building hit the stage.
Jane’s Addiction has not been to Sydney for many years now, and I’ve seen them live quite a few times. The legendary rock band still feels like a band you’re watching in its prime. This is remarkable given lead Perry Farrell is clearly getting on with age. Age hasn’t, however, affected his paramount charisma as the rock dandy struts around the stage, either serving as solemn rock god on “Mountain Song” or dropping the pretentiousness and dipping into fan service with “Jane Says” and “Been Caught Stealing”. Just as good as the last time I saw them in 2010.
The biggest surprise, however, was that Billy Corgan and guitarist James Iha were in a good mood. The Smashing Pumpkins have developed a reputation for Corgan’s noted prickliness, but standing tall on stage the one-of-one frontman seemed to be in very high spirits.
Perhaps it’s Corgan’s lifelong admiration of wrestling that helped build morale. Yet, whatever it is, this was the finest set I’ve seen from The Smashing Pumpkins out of the four-or-so times I’ve seen them. And that says a lot, given my personal favourite “Disarm” was sadly left off the setlist – a mixed-bag of songs both old and new, all tied together by some resoundingly excellent musicianship from all band members, particularly Iha who stayed on with Corgan for an acoustic run while the rest of the band briefly sat on the sidelines.
Corgan knows how to put together a set list. He starts with a breathless run of hits, switches through to deeper cuts, and then heads back to some consecutive hits again. “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” has become the band’s signature song over the years and it was only second on the set list.
While Corgan has most definitely faded as far as screaming “CAAAAAAGE” goes (or pronouncing “believe” in a brilliant acoustic version of “Tonight, Tonight”), the fierceness in the man’s voice was clearly expressed. Even more so since it was juxtaposed with a genuinely playful, slightly sardonic stage presence that saw Corgan and Iha crack plenty of jokes and banter with the crowd.
“Ava Adore” was a mid-set highlight, brilliantly executed with perhaps the best arrangement I’ve heard from that song to date. Yet it was the behemoth trilogy of hits towards the end of the set that remained the highlight of the night. “Cherub Rock” was up first, quickly bleeding into a perfectly performed “Zero” before doubling down on the heavy bass of “1979”.
And the crowd. Well, the show sold out. And for a ’90s band that has been here more than a few times, that’s something that speaks highly of how relevant and beloved The Smashing Pumpkins will always be. After all, there is no other band in history that sounds like them.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
All photos: Bruce Baker – you can see more photos from Sydney HERE
