Smashing Pumpkins at the Ryman

Well, I still need to get the oil changed and I still need to take the recycling out and I have to get some milk. It does a body good.

Last night I saw the Smashing Pumpkins at the Ryman Auditorium, which used to be the home of the Grand Old Opry. Since Aimee was out of town, I invited my friend Pablo Martinez from the PhD program. Pablo is from Valladollid, Spain and we entered the program together. His English is impeccable, but more importantly he is a great appreciator of music. He also knows Nashville pretty well so we were able to find free parking about a block from the Ryman. Last night we met on campus around 7:30. He invited me for a quick bite to eat at a sport's bar and grille, which was only fair since I had invited him to the concert. Around 8:30 we entered the Ryman and took our seats just as the opening bad finished.

A brief word on the Ryman is required. I will let you read about the history of the building on your own time. I would like to mention the seating arrangements of the Ryman. Imagine the Salt Lake Tabernacle (before the remodeling). Do you have that image in your mind? Good. Now, put a wall down the middle of the Tabernacle and put a stage in that wall. That's about how big the Ryman is, in other words, it's small. The wooden pews are almost identical to the ones used in the Tabernacle - at least before it was remodeled. I had a difficult time sitting so it was a good thing everybody stood up once the show started. I mean, this was a rock concert, not some string concerto.

Billy Corgan took the stage and sang three songs with his acoustic guitar. The band came out and commenced to rock our faces off. I fear that the experience may have left some scars. There was a group of middle-aged guys behind us that were drunker than your grandma on May Day. They were yelling out "Billy we love you" and generally being quite annoying before the Pumpkins took the stage. I was worried they would make the experience less enjoyable. Interestingly, they shut up once the sacred band took the stage. It was really weird. All in all, it was a great show. I hope it was recorded. I would love to get a copy. Any way, here is the set list from the band's website, but I am putting it here more for my own benefit.