Smashing Pumpkins Manila “Oceania” Tour

 

“The world is a vampire (dum, dum, du-dum, du-du-dum) sent to drain…”

 

When In Manila and my hopes of watching one of the iconic bands I grew up with were dashed by the torrential rains and floods brought by the monsoon, I can only cry myself to sleep while thousands strong revelled on the three-hour special  promised by Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins for the Manila leg of their “Oceania” tour.

 

I’m so bitter that, well, I can’t write or do anything else straight. (Now, before you start throwing verbal incendiaries my way for being bitter over not attending a concert while thousands are left homeless because of the floods, do note that since Wednesday I have begun packing used clothing and footwear for donation to flood victims and have been coordinating with our local church and academic community regarding relief operations. Am I being defensive? Too defensive? Sorry…)

 

So just to let all this negativity go away, here are the things I and everyone else who wished to go but weren’t able to make it missed in the one-day postponed Smashing Pumpkins Manila “Oceania” Tour – a three-hour visual, auditory, live spectacle of the great Billy Corgan, Jeff Schroeder, Nicole Fiorentino, and Mike Byrne in a collection of images and videos I scoured through the net the day after.

 

Photos taken by Magic Liwanag as distributed by Music Management International.

 

 

The Smashing Pumpkins played to a full crowd (sans us the unfortunate ones) despite floods covering most of Metro Manila. The Pumpkins played their latest album “Oceania” from beginning to end before revisiting the band’s classics and hits that muted the pouring rain outside.

 

 

The Pumpkins introduced “The Ball” and the unique video mapping technology that played music videos or visualizations as the Manila crowd rocked with them through their massive 28-song set.

 

 

Billy Corgan showed love to the Manila crowd as he took away their flood-related worries for three hours with his haunting whispers, controlled screams, and emphatic shrieks. Along with Mike Byrne and the rest of the band, the Pumpkins played an extended encore including arguably the Pumpkins’ most phenomenal work of art “1979”.

 

 

Jeff Schroeder played the lead. His violin-esque riffs in “Tonight, Tonight” were beautiful! (Yes, I only watched it on YouTube. Don’t rub it in!)

 

 

Nicole Fiorentino wore a dainty red dress which she was still contemplating on wearing a few hours before the concert. Based on the post-event tweets, it seems that a lot of the male concert goers developed a crush on her as she gyrated and strummed her bass.

 

Smashing Pumpkins Manila “Oceania” Tour Setlist

FIRST SET – OCEANIA ALBUM

Quasar

Panopticon

The Celestials

Violet Rays

My Love is Winter

One Diamond, One Heart

Pinwheels

Oceania

Pale Horse

The Chimera

Glissandra

Inkless

Wildflower

 

SECOND SET

Space Oddity

X.Y.U.

Disarm

Tonight, Tonight

Bullet With Butterfly Wings

Soot and Stars

Luna

Today

 

ENCORE

*Zero*

*Ava Adore*

*Cherub Rock*

 

EXTENDED ENCORE

*1979*

*Stand Inside Your Love*

*Muzzle*

*Black Diamond*

 

Smashing Pumpkins Manila “Today”

  

 When In Manila, Billy Corgan promised everyone who wasn’t able to make it last night that they will certainly be back.  I hope it happens soon. And I hope it happens without the drama of a calamity.

 

Billy, please come back…

 

Props to Music Management International for pulling off another successful concert despite the rains and floods. Hopefully we get invited to cover another one of your concerts. (David Guetta, maybe?)

 

I feel better now. Back to packing stuff for the flood victims.

 

Smashing Pumpkins Manila “Oceania” Tour: The World is Such a Vampire!