Smashing Pumpkins play Rogers Arena in Vancouver tonight

The Smashing Pumpkins play Rogers Arena in Vancouver tonight, Thursday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. Pacific, one of only three Canadian dates on the band’s Rats in a Cage tour.

Live Nation, the tour promoter, said the show is built around two distinct sets. The first is devoted to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the 1995 double album that marked its 30th anniversary this year. The second is a career-spanning set drawing on what the promoter called nearly four decades of hits, deep cuts and fan favourites.

Daily Hive reported that the band’s other Canadian stops this fall are in Hamilton and Calgary, which means Vancouver is the only British Columbia date. Tickets for all shows went on sale May 21, and resale listings for tonight’s show vary widely by seller, so fans are advised to confirm seats through Ticketmaster, the official outlet, before buying.

Frontman Billy Corgan said in the tour announcement that staging a show around Mellon Collie had been discussed for more than a decade. He said the first set features only songs from that album “in a highly theatrical setting,” while the second set is built to vary from night to night, so the songs played in Vancouver may differ from other cities. The second set draws on the band’s catalogue from its debut, Gish, to its latest material.

The band is now made up of original members Corgan, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and guitarist James Iha. The Smashing Pumpkins have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, according to Daily Hive, and two of their records, Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, appear on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums.

The Vancouver date is the band’s first in the city since 2022, according to ticketing listings for the show. It is part of a busy season for the venue and the city’s concert calendar, with Beck, The Strokes and Weezer also scheduled to play Vancouver later in the year, Daily Hive reported.

Rogers Arena is at 800 Griffiths Way, downtown Vancouver. Doors times were not confirmed at the time of publication, and fans should check the venue’s website for entry and bag rules.

Arena tours are also a big business for Canadian acts. Our earlier story on Nickelback’s seven Canadian arena dates shows how crowded the fall and winter touring calendar has become.

Sources: Daily Hive, Live Nation tour announcement, Ticketmaster and ticketing listings.

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