Billy Corgan teamed up with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness, an opera concert series which premiered on Friday at the Civic Opera House in Chicago. At the debut, they performed a number of favorites from the Smashing Pumpkins’ third studio album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
On opening night Friday, the set list featured the album’s big hits “Tonight, Tonight,” “1979,” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.” Backed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Lyric Opera chorus, Corgan also performed, singing and playing guitar during select songs. Soprano Sydney Mancasola, mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams, tenor Dominick Chenes, and baritone Edward Parks joined Corgan as lead vocalists. The events are conducted by James Lowe, who along with Corgan created new arrangements and orchestrations for the run.
In fan-filmed videos from the performance last night, Corgan is seen leading “Tonight, Tonight” buoyed by the operatic harmonies of Mancasola, Reams, Chenes, and Parks, surrounded by the Lyric Opera Orchestra and with the chorus behind them.
A clip from their performance of “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” showcases a soaring lead-in to the resonant “Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage” oft-quoted line from the single.
“It is thrilling to collaborate with Lyric head John Mangum, my musical partner James Lowe, and all of the artists at Lyric in reimagining this very special and historic album, and to discover how Lyric’s full operatic treatment is helping me experience my own compositions in powerful new ways,” Corgan said in a previous statement ahead of the performance run. “Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions, and I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work; for the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way.”
A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness opera concert series continues tonight, Nov. 22, and will also take place Nov. 25-26, and Nov. 28-30.
