If you spent the mid-90s with a copy of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness on repeat, next Tuesday is the night you've been waiting for. The Smashing Pumpkins are bringing their 'The Rats In A Cage Tour' to Ball Arena on Tuesday, October 27, with the show starting at 8:00 PM. The tour runs from September through November and is built around the 30th anniversary of that double album, which came out on October 24, 1995.
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The format is what makes this more than a standard greatest-hits run. Each night is split into two sets. The first is a theatrical staging that covers Mellon Collie in its entirety, and the second opens up to the rest of the band's catalog, reaching from Gish (1991) all the way to Aghori Mhori Mei (2024). It's a long show, clocking in at roughly two hours, and the setlist is deep enough to keep longtime fans guessing.
On the Mellon Collie half, expect the obvious hits like '1979,' 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings,' 'Tonight Tonight,' 'Zero,' and 'Cherub Rock,' alongside tracks like 'Porcelina of the Vast Oceans,' 'Jellybelly,' 'Bodies,' 'Thirty-Three,' 'Muzzle,' and 'Disarm.' The second set is where the real digging happens. The band has been reviving songs that haven't been played live in years: 'Cupid de Locke' and 'Galapogos' both return after being off the setlist since 2008, 'Fuck You (An Ode to No One)' comes back after 2007, 'By Starlight' and 'As Rome Burns' after 2010, and 'Le Deux Machina' after 2000. 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' itself makes its first live appearance since 2018, and 'Superchrist' returns after 2019. There are even a couple of live debuts in the mix, 'Sojourner' and 'Jesus Is the Sun,' plus a cover of Berlin's 'Take My Breath Away.' A few songs rotate from night to night, so no two shows are exactly the same.
On stage, the core lineup is the one that built the legacy: vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, rounded out by touring members Kiki Wong on guitar and keyboards and Jack Bates on bass. Corgan, born March 17, 1967, in Chicago, has been the only constant member since the band formed in 1988, and together they've sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.
For anyone who wants to do more than just stand in the crowd, there are three VIP packages: 'The Ultimate Mellon Collie Experience,' 'Porcelina's Cove Experience,' and 'The Cherub Rock VIP Package.' They come with premium reserved seating, exclusive merchandise, priority access, VIP entry, and a VIP host, and some include access to Porcelina's Cove with a bar, curated food, memorabilia, photo opportunities, and priority merchandise purchase. A few packages even throw in a pre-show acoustic performance and a Q&A with the band, though none of them include a meet-and-greet or any direct artist interaction. Tickets are through Ticketmaster, and the presale opened back in May.
It's a lot of history packed into one night. Whether you're there for the Mellon Collie anniversary or the deep cuts that haven't been played in nearly two decades, it's a big bill for a Tuesday night in Denver.
Published Date
22 October 2026
