There are certain bands whose music becomes attached to a specific time in your life, and for a lot of people inside CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore on Saturday night, October 3, 2026, The Smashing Pumpkins are one of those bands.
The arena was packed with fans of every age, from those who grew up with them in the ’90s to younger fans wearing shirts from albums released long before they were born. Everywhere you looked, there was Pumpkins merch, old and new, and that excitement you get when people know they’re about to hear songs that actually mean something to them.
The stage itself was incredible. Towering columns, statues, moons, stars and celestial imagery filled the backdrop, giving it this dark, gothic, almost storybook feel. The visuals changed constantly throughout the night, moving through deep blues, reds, greens and magentas while fog rolled across the stage. Sometimes it felt eerie and dramatic; other times, almost dreamlike…