So, BILLY CORGAN, the dude who thinks wrestling is a legitimate sport, has decided his music is high art.🤡 He’s teaming up with the Lyric Opera of Chicago to butcher, I mean, “celebrate” the 30th anniversary of “Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness.” Apparently, a “mutual friend” thought the opera needed some PUMPKINS spice. More like someone lost a bet. 🤣
Billy said, “I kept thinking, ‘There’s no way they’re gonna wanna work with me.'” Finally, some self-awareness! But then he ruins it by adding how much they “loved” his pitch. Sure, Jan. Seven nights of this monstrosity? Almost sold out? Who are these people? 🙄 Full orchestra, chorus, and operatic interpretations. And Billy’s singing too! Lord, help us all. 🙏 He rehearsed with “great opera singers,” and it’s “amazing” to hear his music mangled by professionals. He calls it “emotional.” We call it a train wreck. 🚂 And for those poor souls unfamiliar with the album, don’t worry, it’s being “interpreted” for classical fans. So, it’s not rock and roll, but it’s also not good. 🤷♂️
He’s “taking rock and roll into the opera” by interpretation, you see. So profound! 🧠 He told the arranger, James Lowe, to make it sound like George Gershwin threw up on it.🤮 Breaking it down and building it back up, so the opera singers “feel comfortable.” Because God forbid they have to sing rock and roll! They’re in their “comfort zone,” which is apparently butchering classic albums. Billy’s a “Lyric fan,” so he wants “those artists to do what they do at the highest level.” Translation: ruin my music but make it sound fancy. No compromise with his music, of course!🙄 So, he’s trying to figure out how to make his music work for them. Good luck with that, buddy. 🍀
Do the musicians at the Lyric Opera appreciate Billy’s “work”? “They were so amazing!” one of them has seen him play! Groundbreaking!🤯 They were going to do ‘Tonight, Tonight,’ and some lady was all like, “I don’t know this one.” Hilarious! 😂 They’re “really excited” because they’re “familiar with the record” and understand it’s a “sort of cultural phenomenon.” More like a cultural embarrassment. And they’re getting “buzz from their own families and friends.” Oh, so they’re doing it for the clout? Got it. 😎 The “whole idea” is to get people in the opera house because museums and cultural institutions are “struggling to bring younger people into their institutions.” Because, you know, phones and TikTok are ruining everything. 📱 So, this is to “bridge that gap.” Because nothing says “youth appeal” like Billy Corgan doing opera. 🤣 The “success” shows that it’s “there to be had.” Yeah, good luck with that, William.🤞 Maybe a cameo from a cat? 🐈⬛
“A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness” is described as “a new commission inspired by one of the greatest alternative albums of all time.” Who wrote this, Billy’s mom? It continues that you’ll hear Corgan and “special guest artists along with the epic sound of the Lyric Opera Of Chicago Orchestra And Chorus in a completely new, sonic and visual experience.” Which basically translates to “We’re gonna ruin your childhood with pretension!” Whether you love the PUMPKINS or crave the opportunity to hear a “new work inspired by the unexpected,” this “promises to be one of the can’t-miss cultural collaborations of the season.” Or, you know, you could just stay home and listen to the original album. Just sayin’.🤷
“A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness” will be staged across seven nights only, November 21–30, 2025. So you have plenty of time to regret your ticket purchase. 🎫 Corgan reimagines his magnum opus by “marshaling all of Lyric’s technical and artistic forces for an immersively original sonic and visual experience that blurs the boundaries of opera, rock, and performance art.” In other words, he’s throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall and hoping something sticks. Featuring newly commissioned arrangements and orchestrations by Corgan and James Lowe, who also conducts, as well as costumes from House of Gilles by Gilles and Chloé Mendel Corgan, these “historic performances promise to further magnify the legend of the original album and expand the definition and intention of opera.” Or just make it really, really weird. 👽
“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 previously said in a statement. “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.” Translation: “I’m gonna make a lot of money off this.” 💰
John Mangum, general director, president and CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago, added: “Next season is filled with a tremendous range of lavish and powerful opera productions that we are excited to share with our audiences. I’m just as excited about the special performances like ‘A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness’ that open the aperture and expand the definition of opera and what an American opera company can be. The season clearly illustrates how this company continues to push the art form forward and create new work that can only happen in Chicago.” In other words, “We’re desperate for attention and hoping this doesn’t bankrupt us.” 💸
“Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness” was SMASHING PUMPKINS‘ third studio album. It featured the singles “Tonight, Tonight”, “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “1979”. Which, let’s be honest, we’ll all be listening to instead of this opera nonsense. 🎶
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