Who built the shiny & oh so bright sorrow?
It’s been a busy spell lately. From my annual visit to Forest Hills Stadium and indulging in the new wave double bill that was Blondie and Elvis Costello to sailing along NY Harbor during our annual staff appreciation party and indulging my inner Scoopie. But there was one more act to follow as tonight brought me back to the beach, Jones Beach that is. Under the moonlight and the Long Island Sound, tonight was a triple bill with AFI opening, followed by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and headlined by The Smashing Pumpkins. An eventful Friday night in the middle of August was on the cards.
But before we get to tonight, we have to go back to earlier this year. I found out about this show in March. I couldn’t believe that both bands were touring together this summer. It wasn’t too long since I’d seen either of them as I went to both of their shows separately in the past year. In my experience, most concerts tend to be a one shot deal, seeing them and they do not return during the second leg of a tour. There the listing was on Live Nation’s website and a smile appeared. I had access to the presale but I had to wait until Monday night to buy the ticket. After a busy day at work that included a shift at our Best of Spring event, confirming the ticket purchase ended the day on a high note.
The days, weeks and months would go by. Spring would turn into summer and soon enough, the day would arrive. Before I could make the trek out to Long Island, I had to stop at home to drop off my bag. As I arrived at the 7 train stop at 33rd Street, the skies began to darken. By the time I got off the subway, it was a windy and rainy deluge upon the doors opening. It didn’t last long, though as the sun came out on the walk back home. I picked up my ticket and my camera and turned right back around. The trek to the beach was on.
Unlike the Foo Fighters show last July, getting to the venue was less of an adventure this time. The Nice bus was restored for the Jones Beach concert season this year. I arrived in Freeport from taking the LIRR at Jamaica station and the bus let out in the parking lot instead of walking on the beach to the theater. I made it to the venue as AFI’s set was in progress. After a tall can of Goose Island IPA and a helping of macaroni and cheese, I made it to my seat just as AFI ended their half hour set. Oddly enough, I was sitting in the same section as I did the previous year.
As evening turned to night, the skies began to cloud up as Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds took the stage. Tonight was the first time that I’d see him perform solo and as part of Oasis and not be top of the bill. But as the opening track Fort Knox from his most recent album rang out, one wouldn’t know that he was an opening act. The 11 song set had a mix of new material in This Must Be The Place, cuts from his solo album, Who Built The Moon? and Oasis classics over the hour long set. Ever the crank, he greeted the crowd, hello New Jersey, not realizing that he was back in New York. Late in the set, it began to drizzle briefly. The biggest cheers went naturally up for Wonderwall and for Don’t Look Back In Anger followed by of The Beatles All You Need is Love to round off the set. With the evening now nighttime, it was time for the main event of the evening.
At 9:30pm, the lights went down and the ominous music stung. Under the cloak of darkness, The Smashing Pumpkins took the stage and opened the show with Today from 1993’s Siamese Dream and the entire room sung along to the chorus of the song. And on it would go for the next hour and a half. Though the set list mostly consisted of tracks from the first five album, Knights of Malta and Solara from Shiny & Oh So Bright Volume 1 were given play early on. But the rest of the night had hits galore, from Disarm, Zero, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Adore, 1979 and a stirring rendition of Tonight, Tonight after James introduced the band. The night ended at 11pm for an epically restrained set. This wasn’t the 31 song set of last year but enough riffs and songs fit into 17 and send the crowd home happy. Following the moon as I make my way home. It felt good to let out the frustations and feel joy again m As it was last year, The Smashing Pumpkins made the impossible, possible tonight, tonight.
It’s already been an eventful summer so far. As of now, there’s a bit of a lull ahead as the next event is the US Open at the end of the month. Then, the big moment arrives as summer turns to fall, my trip to France is less than a month away.
The remainder of 2019 remains unwritten. But I’m determined to end the year and the decade on a high note. The impossible is always possible.
