Girl at the Rock Shows

I don’t want to say that I signed up for Sunday night’s show as a joke, but I thought there was no way I would be approved to cover the show. I mean, come on, Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins was playing the super-intimate-for-him Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. The venue only has a capacity of 750 people. This guy typically plays sold-out arenas in front of tens of thousands of fans. There was no way he was going to want some random blogger at this super special show, and especially not little ol’ me. Don’t get me wrong, I know some people really love what I do, and, obviously, I love what I do, but to Billy Corgan, I’m nobody. I made my alternate plans for a different show and got in the headspace for that show, trying to push out the inkling that there was any chance I would be approved for Billy Corgan. That’s when I got the email. I was approved. I read the email over and over again. Where was the punchline? This couldn’t be real… could it? It was, and it led to a memorable Sunday night that many people would have given their firstborn to experience.

Los Angeles-based Return to Dust was the sole opener on this bill. They took the stage promptly at 8 PM and instantly transported the sold-out audience back to the days when grunge was king. Their sound was nostalgic and from a world that I often neglect, but there was a fresh spin on the ’90s grunge vibe. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what that spin was, but I can tell you that their often Alice in Chains-leaning sound morphed throughout their set into many different things, from heavier to more tender, giving their short time on stage a very full and dynamic feel. The band seemed oddly soft-spoken, considering the commanding nature of their music. They didn’t say much to the audience, but they didn’t have to. The members of Return to Dust had the audience right where they wanted them, and their music was all that talking that needed to be done.

I wasn’t just shocked by the immense amount of talent and fire I was getting from the stage during Return to Dust; I was surprised at how young this band seemed, and I instantly had to know how this seemingly unknown and young band got on such a monumental tour. Okay, that sounds bad, and you may take this as me questioning if they were worthy of such an opportunity. That’s not the case. They were clearly worthy, but there had to be a reason that this band, who had only been around since 2022, won the dream of a lifetime of opening for the one and only Billy Corgan. That reason didn’t take me long to find. There was a rumor circulating that a member of this band has a very famous dad, and after a quick online search, I realized just who I had seen. The drummer of Return to Dust is London Hudson, the son of famed guitarist Slash (Guns N’ Roses). I don’t want to dwell on this and don’t want you to either because, again, the power and talent of this band speaks for itself, but it was truly an honor to see such a young kid follow in his father’s footsteps in a way while also carving his own path.

Now to the headliner and the reason for the hype behind this show- Billy Corgan. Known best for his work as the primary songwriter, singer, lead guitarist, and only constant member of The Smashing Pumpkins, Billy is a legend, and there’s no other way to put it. Although he has dabbled in many other things during his life (most notably wrestling, but that’s a whole other article), Billy Corgan’s distinct sound and style not only soundtracked an entire generation, but it seemed to put alternative rock on the map in a way that other acts just could not.

So why was this juggernaut playing the humble little Varsity Theater in the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis? Sunday night’s show was the final stop on a sixteen-day tour from this “solo project” dubbed Billy Corgan and the Machines of God. It was a tour spent revisiting older albums from The Smashing Pumpkins and songs that may not have gotten the attention they deserved or have even been played live before. The audience was treated to b-side after b-side on Sunday night. I have to be honest, The Smashing Pumpkins was never my band. Their distinct sound is something I recall hearing when I was growing up, but I feel like I just slightly missed the boat on this band and am a few years too young to have the kind of attachment to Billy Corgan that many in the audience did. That being said, the excitement that could be felt in the air at The Varsity Theater on Sunday night was more than enough to let me know just how amazing and special this set was. I loved seeing everyone around me just completely lost in the music. Sure, there were people with their phones held high up in the air, trying to get videos that they will probably never watch again, but beyond that, I feel like this was the kind of audience that was just so in awe and so honored to have this night and this moment that there was little movement and next to zero chatter. Fans didn’t want to miss a single second of this show, and that created a feeling in the room that I will never forget.

For a guy who often plays stadium shows with high production behind them, Sunday night’s performance felt so perfectly understated. I have been to many shows at The Varsity and can tell you that, from what I saw, there were no “new stops” or anything like that added to the production. There were lights, fog, and the band. That’s it. There was something about that that felt just so “normal,” which caught me off guard ever so slightly but also added that special touch to the night. I wish this were where I could tell you that the show felt amazingly intimate, but even with that stripped-back feel that I got from the lack of production, this show didn’t feel as intimate as I thought it would. I don’t blame anyone or anything for this other than Billy’s distinct sound and style. I feel like The Smashing Pumpkins, and Billy’s vocals in particular, are just so legendary that, even though I was having this once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing him perform just a few feet in front of me rather than at a stadium, this song lacked that intimate feeling I was hoping for. Perhaps that’s just me, and maybe it was me getting lost in the honor that had been bestowed upon me, but I just wish I had felt a closer connection or a stronger attachment to the stage.

I know many people who would have killed for this night. I almost feel guilty that I got the opportunity as a fair-weather fan of Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins at best. I’ll always wonder why I was given this chance when I know there were so many other photographers and writers who tried to get approved for this show only to get denied, but, at the same time, I know that Sunday night was a true honor and a night that will absolutely be going down in my “most special concerts” list and, for that, I will always be grateful. I was just saying in a previous post that life is a wild ride, and all you can do is buckle up and see where it takes you. I can’t believe that my ride took me to this show.

Line Up:

Return to Dust

Billy Corgan and the Machines of God

Venue: Varsity Theater

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 45

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 2 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Return to Dust – 0

Billy Corgan – 2 (in The Smashing Pumpkins)

Celebrity Sightings – Ryan of Unstable Shapes

Overall Score – 8.4 out of 10

Show on Deck — Cole Diamond / Jenny Don’t and the Spurs

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