to smash a pumpkin.............

when i was in 8th grade, i discovered a band that would alter the course of my musical development and interest for the rest of my life. i had heard the Smashing Pumpkins on the radio many times and decided to buy an album. when i saw a used copy of Machina: The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music in my local record store, i picked it up and listened to the entire album in one sitting. it blew me the fuck away! the musical complexity combined with cryptically intense lyrics and fantastically strange artwork was unlike anything i ever experienced. since then i have been a die-hard Smashing Pumpkins fanatic. only one problem-they had broken up and i would never be able to see them, a fact i lamented to great extent. when i heard that the Pumpkins had reunited, and that they would be touring and stopping in Denver at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater, my elation was extreme. it was the fulfillment of a dream.
The concert itself was amazing. the band played all of their biggest hits as well as some more obscure tracks, ripping through every song with such intense power and emotion that i was left speechless and in awe. every song was played differently than on the respective album. there were added solos, extended intros and endings, and sometimes the band would simply start jamming and rocking me to the very core! to me, this was one of the most profound emotional experiences i have ever had, as well as being one of the greatest shows i have ever seen. my emotional link to the music of the Pumpkins is very deep and has played a profound role in my life, giving me strength when i was in a very dark place. all i could think during the show was how much i wanted to thank the Pumpkins for their music and the amazing show. and after the concert, i was given a brief opportunity to do just that. through an open van window, i shook hands with drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and thanked him and Billy Corgan for the show. to me, this show was more than just the fulfillment of a desire, but it was an emotional fountain, a wave of electric energy, shaking me to the soul and leaving me with something very powerful. a solid and tangible connection with the source of much help and satisfaction in my life.
For those of you interested, here is the complete setlist for the show:

United States
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Hummer
Bring the Light
Drown
Stand Inside Your Love
Tonight, Tonight
Superchrist
Doomsday Clock
Glass and the Ghost Children
1979 - solo acoustic
To Shelia
Today
Trantula
Ava Adore
Zero
Heavy Metal Machine
On the Road Again -Canned Heat Cover
Encore:
Cherub Rock