William Patrick Corgan treats the Chicago Anthenaeum Theatre to two hometown performances.

On the second night of his two-show run, the packed out theatre were out in force to support one of their own. Whilst many are used to seeing him perform as the frontman of The Smashing Pumpkins, this time around it’s just him. 

Moving away from the name “Billy” once he reached his forties, William Patrick Corgan proved that while his name may have changed, the talent is certainly here to stay. 

The current solo tour is made up of two individual sets. The first set sees him performing his new album Ogilala from start to finish, whereas the second set has him delving into his vast back catalog. Each night, the second half of the show has a completely different setlist to the one before it. 

It takes a certain amount of talent to be able to take to the stage by yourself, with just your trusty guitar and piano and hold the audience’s attention throughout. Without doubt, Corgan is a person who can do exactly that. Besides his instruments, he also brings with him his unique voice which captivates the Anthenaeum. Alternating between the guitar and piano, Corgan proves once again that he’s a multi-talented musician. 

It’s not very often you get to witness a big-named performer like Corgan in such an intimate setting. When shows like these come along, if you are ever in doubt as to whether should go or not – go! These opportunities do not come along every day and they are ones you will not regret taking.   

It was clear that tonight’s audience were certainly glad they snapped up these seats. They sat in awe, listening intently to the wordsmith’s lyrics, you could almost hear a pin drop. Something that is all too rare these days, with people often taking this moment to catch up on the week’s happenings with their friends. But not tonight. Tonight was about the music. 

Usually, you would only get to hear an album performed in its entirety at a twentieth or thirtieth-anniversary show, so it’s refreshing to have this experience right off the bat. You get to hear the album as the artist intended, before the days of the shuffle button. Seeing it performed live like this can often bring songs to your attention that may not have otherwise noticed.

There’s no denying the talent this guy brings to the table. One thing you would not expect from seeing Corgan is him performing a Miley Cyrus song. And in true Corgan style, he more than pulled off his version of “Wrecking Ball” which you may have recently seen him perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The second set of the show included numerous songs from his Smashing Pumpkins catalog, such as “1979” and “Thirty-Three”. Whilst these songs will always receive a warm welcome, the stripped back versions often help add a new dimension to the songs.

With only a few dates on this tour, be sure to catch this show if you get the opportunity.

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William Patrick Corgan
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Event Date: 25-OCT-2017