William Patrick Corgan - San Francisco, CA - Herbst Theatre - Show Recap & Photos - 11/1/2017

William Patrick Corgan - Hebst Theatre - San Francisco, California - November 1, 2017

William Patrick Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins fame continued his solo acoustic tour supporting his most recent release, Ogilala, this past week in San Francisco at the historic Herbst Theatre.

The Rick Rubin produced, Ogilala, is more accessible than Corgan’s previous solo release, 2005’s TheFutureEmbrace, which came across as a more antagonistic, industrial pop record that wasn’t entirely embraced by the front man’s die hard fan base.

Ogilala is a gentler record that abandons the distortion, angst and crunching riffs that are the Smashing Pumpkins trademarks, replacing those themes with melodic soundscapes built from the ground up with pianos, light synths, a smattering of string arrangements and acoustic guitars.  

Rubin has become somewhat known for this kind of record and its approach in terms of stripping down and remaking an artist with a minimalistic approach, that most notably worked best on Johnny Cash’s American Recordings.

The softer side of Corgan thus shines brightest in a live setting where the front man can deploy the deftness of his lyrics, melodies and the off beat connections he shares with his adoring fan base.   

The presentation format for this tour also allows Corgan’s new music to shine while at the same time presenting fans unique and fresh takes from his catalogue of music that goes well beyond just his Smashing Pumpkins material.

This approach worked to great effect at the Herbst theatre in San Francisco this past week as Corgan delighted the audience with resplendent takes on Smashing Pumpkins’ tracks such as show closer “Today” and “Disarm,” as well as unexpected covers that included his surprising interpretations of Miley Cyrus’, “Wrecking Ball” and the Neil Young classic, “After the Gold Rush.”

Corgan also provided the Herbst Theatre audience with complete and transparent insight into Ogilala, as he began the performance in San Francisco by playing the record in it’s entirety before closing out the first part of the set by taking a run at Tim Hardin’s, “If I Were a Carpenter.”

Say what you want to about Corgan and his off the stage persona that has seen him running tea shops, a professional wrestling league and even being the target of shape shifters in recent weeks. 

The fact is William Patrick Corgan is one of this generation’s most unique songwriting and vocal talents and a musician, that regardless of whatever record or tour he’s currently out supporting, is worth the price of admission to both see and hear.  

Corgan’s performance at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco only reinforced this assertion, as well as give fans of the front man ample reason to foam at the mouth while eagerly awaiting the long rumored Smashing Pumpkins reunion.

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All Photography: Robert Galloway

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