Bc2024-10-23a

Billy Corgan
Date	2024-10-23a
Venue	Madame Zuzu's
Location	Highland Park, IL, US
Venue Type	Teahouse
Capacity	300
Lineup	Billy Corgan
Order of Bands	Billy Corgan
Surfaced Recordings
AUD #1
Source	AUD
Format	M4A
Equipment	Internal Mics > Samsung S21 Ultra
Length	82m
Complete?	Yes
Lowest Circulating Generation	M4A(M) > WAV > FLAC
Live Music Archive	16-bit download (lossy)
Release	20241121-Release-BC2024-10-23aAUD1

I consider the gift of song to be the greatest gift of all in music; for the writer is able to crystallize a moment in time and, in turn, share that same gift with others in an act of endless revelation. So whether I choose the song of another or, selfishly, one hewn from my own hands and heart, the Songbook series is meant to celebrate the art in its native and most personal form. - Billy Corgan

Setlist

Set:

• Dancehall
• Don't Change [INXS]
• Zowie
• Stumbleine
• The Spaniards
• Shine On, Harvest Moon [Ruth Etting]
• Wrath
• Landslide [Fleetwood Mac]
• Pony Express [Zwan]
• Age of Innocence
• 1979 (abandoned)
• 1979
• To Love Somebody [Bee Gees]
• Travels
• Cri de Coeur
• To Scatter One's Own
• A Satisfied Mind [Joe Hayes]
• The Long Goodbye

Notes

• Songbook series of 4 shows held at Madame Zuzu's
• First performance of "Pony Express" since 2001-12-14
• First performance of "ToLoveSomebody" since 2005-08-05
• First performance of "Stumbleine" since 2016-05-29
• First full performance of "Landslide" since 2018-12-07
• First full performance of "The Spaniards" since 2019-11-18
• First performances of "Dancehall", "Zowie", "Age of Innocence", "Travels", "To Scatter One's Own" and "The Long Goodbye" since 2019-11-20
• First acoustic performances of "Zowie" and "Travels"
• First performance of "Cri de Coeur" since 2020-10-30
• First performance of "Wrath" since 2022-07-27

Banter

Chloe: Hi. I don't have a mic.

BC: Talk loud.

Chloe: This is the signed, handwritten setlist if anyone's interested on what it looks like or is. It's five dollars to enter the sweepstakes and we'll draw right at the end of the show, so wait for us to draw before you leave if you purchased, uh, a sweepstakes and gift. So this is it and I know everyone's curious. I wish we could read it. It's signed and dated [unintelligible as crowd claps]. He just doesn't want to reveal what the setlist was beforehand, so thank you for trusting our mystery sweepstakes. Um...anything I'm supposed to say?

BC: No.

Chloe: We don't have an opener. He's opening for himself, so...and congratulations, you did get tickets for this show, it sold out quite quickly, so thank you for your support always. Have a magical evening.

BC: What happened to [unintelligible 2 words]? Oh, do you want it? Oh, I was looking for you. One, two, okay, here we go.

Dancehall

BC: Thank you so much for coming.

Don't Change

BC: Does anyone know that song? (crowd cheers) Alright. I didn't write that song, but uh...I saw INXS play that song, Aragon about 1984, so....

Zowie

BC: So I didn't realize, um...that, uh...that it was an auspicious date, it's 29 years ago that Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was released. Which means that this, uh, this next song is about 30 years old. I used to live in, uh, Wrigleyville over there where the Cubs play. And uh, I had a purple Victorian house, which is still there and it's for sale, in case anyone wants it. I believe I sold it for a million, but it's, uh, two and a half mil. When I bought it for half a million, they said it would never go up. But, um, it was in that, uh, that house that I wrote a lot of the Mellon Collie and Adore and Machina songs. Maybe some Zwan, I think. And uh, this song in particular, I don't really recall much about it other than I wrote it in one evening, did a demo of it and uh, it was slated to be on the album. And then the day we went to record it, um, I tried it for about 20 minutes and I just said, "I can't do it, something's just not there." So we sat and listened to the demo a bunch of times, we said, "Well, why don't we just use that?", so, um, that's what's on the record is the demo. So, the funny thing is, the recording you hear is basically, the song's about an hour old. Um, but I think it holds up, so....

Stumbleine

BC: Yeah, I think it holds up okay. Heh heh.

The Spaniards

BC: That's a song from my solo record Ogilala. And uh, that was released under my real name, which is William Patrick Corgan. And then, uh...when we put out Cotillions, it was either under Billy Corgan -- it was, or either vice versa -- but Spotify refused to, uh...I'm not the same person, apparently. So.... Apparently you can't have two of the same name, even if it's the same name, and um, so now I released all the solo songs are under the same name, which is Billy again. Um, somebody asked me the other day 'cause people get sensitive about the name thing, 'cause it started as a joke in an e-mail thread, I said, "Start calling me William." And it became a meme and uh, articles were written about me changing my name to William. And, um...but, uh, now I just, Billy to me is just like a stage name. So feel free to call me Billy but never call me Bill, just...that's outside the balance.

Shine On, Harvest Moon

Wrath

BC: Now this next, uh, number was recorded about 30 years ago...at the British Broadcasting Company. And uh...we were recording a session, usually record four songs in four hours and it was union, so you had a hard out. And there was technical issues, so...we were fussing with something. I went in the corner and I was bored and I started playing what became, uh, "Despite All My Rage" as all the kids call it. And then, uh, they finally said, "Okay, well, we fixed the issue but there's only 20 minutes left." And uh, because we'd done it before, we knew that it was a hard out, there was no negotiating, so I said, "Well, I think I can do the song in 20 minutes" and the guy said there's no way. And I said, "Well, at least let me try." So, I recorded the, um, the finger gui -- the finger pick guitar part in one take, even though I'd learned it completely wrong. And um, and then I did the solo in one take and I did the vocals in two passes and I still had time to go and listen to the two vocal takes and pick the front half of one and the second half of the other, so this song came out, uh, our compilation album Pisces Iscariot. Um, which existed honestly because, um, Nirvana had success with, I think it was called Incesticide. And so, our record company, in aping them, um, asked us for a compilation record. And so we put this song on there thinking, well, it's a nice track. And uh, little did we know it would become not only a -- a hit song but, um, basically turn a song that had never been a single into a single and uh, give me the eternal thanks of Stevie Nicks. Um, if that wasn't enough, I got invited to her house. Um, the penultimate moment being, um, she had me sit at her piano, um, it's a very beautiful Bösendorfer piano and then she sat next to me and started playing Rhiannon, so, um, this song's done me a lot of good. So...hope you like this one.

Landslide

BC: This next song was written for the band Zwan. I am preparing the Mary Star of the Sea box set. And uh...I was thinking if I wanted to say anything about this song 'cause I think I've only played it...a couple times ever and that would have been back in about 2003 or so. Or '2 even. So um, it's a weird preamble, but first of all, this song's way too long. Um, hopefully you won't agree when it's over but, um...I think what's interesting this song is I scarcely remember writing it and I always really liked it and um, 'course the further the years go by -- it's been over 20 years -- I can't really even remember what the song is about. And uh, even when I try to play it, it's very strange to me why it's put together the way that it is. Um, so it's that sort of feeling of like, it's something that's yours but you don't really take much possession of it. So, um, but I still feel it's worth playing for you, so hope you enjoy it. It's called The Pony Express.

Pony Express

BC: Sound okay?

Age of Innocence

1979 (abandoned after 8 seconds)

BC: Oh, you know this one. That's the problem with being 57 and having kids, it's like, is that a dad joke? I can't, I....

1979

BC: Thanks so much. ... Are both kids here or just her?

Chloe: One is in the [unintelligible]. Just one is interested.

BC: Oh. Just one is interested!

Chloe: [unintelligible]. You obviously miss your iced tea, [unintelligible].

BC: Oh, he's working?

Chloe: Yeah.

BC: Oh. My son has his own iced tea. It's, uh, Vanilla Daydream with agave. He's happy to make it for you. He's the, uh, he's the one with beautiful eyes and a sullen disposition. (strums once) Ah, okay. You might know this one.

To Love Somebody

BC: Now this next song cost me a friendship. It's a true story. I was staying with someone in Los Angeles and uh, I started coming down with some horrible affliction. Covid-like. (no audience response) Heh, Covid-like. (scattered laughter) And uh, thank you. I don't have a lot of jokes, so I gotta [unintelligible]. And uh...and I got so sick, I ended up writing this song, kind of a, like if you sit and then you lay over? And then, um...and then the next day, uh, the person accused me of getting them sick and they threw me out of the apartment. Never saw this person again. (laughing) True story! But this song has nothing to do with that person. That's a true story. I want to say it's from our ill-fated album with Rick Rubin, but I guess that's not fair to Rick or to us. It's, um...I don't know what you call that record, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Volume 1. Like a beginning, like it's from a beginning. But Rick had a lot to do with making this song great, so...thank you to Rick.

Travels

BC: Thank you. I'm going to Australia soon to play some solo shows with a band down there -- oh, thank you. Heh heh. Are you going? But in doing some interviews with the, uh...with the, uh, Australian press, they were of course asking what kind of show and I said, "Well, I'm gonna play with an Australian band, it'll be kind of a different take on my music." And they were asking about solo acoustic and I said, "Well, I refuse to play solo acoustic anymore except here at Madame Zuzu's. Um.... (crowd cheering) Heh heh. And uh...the town was Covington, Kentucky. Somewhere in 2019, I was touring on the Cotillions album and I played a show down there and I said, "I'll never do this again." So, that's why I don't tour acoustic anymore, but to those of you who'd come out in the past, thank you so much and thank you for being here, I appreciate it dearly. The shape of it is I actually really like playing acoustic, um, but you cannot compete with America. I'll let you do the math on that. Um, 'course we can play in Kentucky but we shouldn't because that's where my family is from. You know, I was thinking today in -- in preparation for the show, of a memory that I have, um, and I think it at least illustrates my gratitude to you, it's...um, before the Pumpkins ever formed, I was down in the subway somewhere in the city and I saw this really great performer down there and he was just doing, um...the Beatles. He was doing I Want You, which is a George Harrison song. And I was waiting for the train and I was just listening to this guy play so great and I thought, oh my goodness, if I could only have the courage to stand there and play for people. I even looked into it and somebody said, "Oh, well, you gotta get a license" and I thought, oh, that's too complicated, plus I was too scared. So it's -- it's really a, it's a long journey from there, wishing I could just play in front of anybody to playing in front of great -- such a great audience like yourselves, thank you so much again.

Cri de Coeur

To Scatter One's Own

A Satisfied Mind

BC: Thank you so much, thank you. As we like to say in the Pumpkins, we've reached the bitter end.

The Long Goodbye

BC: Thank you. AJC, come on up. Come on up. Yeah, you. Come on up. ... Come up, please. This is our number one barista. (crowd clapping)

AJC: I am not number one.

BC: Who's number one?

AJC: No, I'm not!

BC: Well, who is number one then if you're not?

AJC: Nobody! Everyone is number one.

BC: Ohh.... (crowd claps) Okay, so we're gonna do the drawing now for the.... Do you wanna come up too? Okay.

AJC: What drawing? Drawing? Yay!

BC: This is, uh, Philomena Clementine. You wanna do the drawing?

Chloe: Pick one ticket.

BC: Pick one ticket.

Philomena: Who is it?

BC: Just pick one.

Philomena: No.

BC: (laughing) Godspeed to you. Be a good guy. One ticket, one ticket. One ticket. Hey, give me that, one ticket, one ticket.

Chloe: Is that two?

BC: Okay, you wanna read the numbers? Wait, can we read that?

Chloe: She can read it.

Philomena: Uh...zero two four five nine three nine?

BC: Nine three nine. Anybody? (crowd cheers) Alright! ... Alright, we got a winner, thank you. Thank you so much! See you again, thank you so much, you guys are awesome, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Photos & Memorabilia