The Smashing Pumpkins at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

The Smashing Pumpkins are bringing The Rats In A Cage Tour to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday, October 20, with the show starting at 8:00 PM and doors opening an hour earlier at 7:00. The tour is built around the 30th anniversary of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and the night is split into two distinct sets: one dedicated entirely to that 1995 album, and another pulling from nearly four decades of hits, from 1979, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Tonight Tonight and Cherub Rock through to the band's 2024 album, Aghori Mhori Mei.

If you are still hunting for tickets, resale options are listed through Ticket Squeeze, with prices starting around $69. The venue itself is the home of the Indiana Pacers and holds more than 15,000 fans, and it is known for strong acoustics and a high-end sound and lighting rig, which should do the band's wall of sound justice.

Before you head in, there are a few house rules worth knowing. Gainbridge Fieldhouse is entirely cashless, so bring a credit card, a debit card or a contactless payment like Apple Pay or Google Pay. Outside food and drink are not allowed, though you can bring a reusable plastic bottle of 32 ounces or less and fill it at the water stations inside. If you want to eat there, Three Point Taqueria serves tacos and nachos out of Section 6 and Section 115, and Warehouse District BBQ does pulled pork, brisket and mac and cheese.

For anyone who needs a refresher on who they are, The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by Billy Corgan, James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky and Jimmy Chamberlin, and they have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Their discography runs from Gish in 1991 through Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Adore, Machina/The Machines of God, Machina II: The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music, Zeitgeist, Oceania, Monuments to an Elegy, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1, Cyr, Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts and the latest, Aghori Mhori Mei. Billy Corgan, born March 17, 1967, is the only member who has been with the band since the beginning. The current lineup pairs Corgan on vocals, guitar, keyboards and bass with James Iha on guitar, bass and backing vocals and Jimmy Chamberlin on drums, with Jack Bates on bass and Kiki Wong on guitar as touring members. The band took home a Grammy in 1997 for Best Hard Rock Performance for Bullet with Butterfly Wings and an American Music Award that same year for Best Alternative Artist.

With the show on a Tuesday night in the heart of downtown, it is the kind of mid-week gig that is easy to build an evening around. Between the two-set format and the anniversary focus, it is shaping up to be a long night of music rather than a quick stop, so giving yourself a little extra time to get in and settle in before the 8:00 start is a smart move.