Billy Corgan premiered his A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness opera at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Friday night, November 21st.
The show features symphonic and operatic renditions of The Smashing Pumpkins’ classic 1995 album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, including such hits as “Tonight, Tonight,” “1979,” and “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.”
Get A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness Tickets Here
Corgan himself sings and plays guitar on select songs, and is joined on vocals by Sydney Mancasola (soprano), Zoie Reams (mezzo-soprano), Dominick Valdés Chenes (tenor), and Edward Parks (baritone). The music is conducted by James Lowe, and performed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
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Fan-filmed clips on YouTube capture striking reinterpretations of the Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness songs, especially notable in the operatic rendition of the “Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage” chorus of “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.”
“Tonight, Tonight” gets two renditions in the opera, the first early on in Act One with the choir only, and the second to close out Act Two with the choir, soloists, and Corgan.
A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness continues with six more performances on November 22nd, 25th, 26th, 28th, 29th, and 30th. Tickets to the remaining shows are available here.
Watch clips of the opera, and see the setlist, below.
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Setlist:
Act One
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Tonight, Tonight
Jellybelly
Galapogos
Thirty-Three
Beautiful
Muzzle
Lily (My One and Only)
Stumbleine
Thru the Eyes of Ruby
Act Two
In the Arms of Sleep
1979
By Starlight
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
To Forgive
Cupid de Locke
Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
Tonight, Tonight