The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan confirmed that the band is highly interested in securing a residency at the groundbreaking Sphere venue in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Speaking on the “Klein. Ally. Show.” broadcasted on Los Angeles radio station KROQ, the singer was directly asked if the veteran alternative rock group would be open to performing at the massive, state-of-the-art facility.
“Absolutely. It’s a no-doubter for us. We just haven’t been asked yet,” he responded (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Billy Corgan went on to detail a specific creative vision that he feels would perfectly suit the immersive environment of the venue. Rather than playing a standard, career-spanning set, he expressed a desire to build a fully theatrical production centered around their monumental 1995 album, Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness.
“If the Sphere came to us and said, ‘We’d love you to do all of [Smashing Pumpkins‘ seminal 1995 RIAA-diamond-certified album] Mellon Collie [And The Infinite Sadness] with that production,’ now that makes sense to me. That makes sense to me, to do something like that, to build a show around the album, much like we’ve done the opera with The Lyric [Opera] in Chicago, and now it’s going to Europe. That makes sense to me because then you have a chance to recast the songs and the music in a different dynamic. But playing a 30-year-old album with that pacing and that song order, and expect everyone to sit there and be happy, I think that’s asking a lot of the audience. That’s why we fought against just going out and playing the record.”
While a Sphere residency remains a future ambition, The Smashing Pumpkins are currently preparing for one of the most extensive live productions of their entire career. Earlier this week, the band officially announced “The Rats In A Cage Tour“, an ambitious North American run scheduled to kick off in September and carry through November 2026.
The upcoming arena tour will feature the group performing two entirely distinct sets each night. The first half will serve as a dedicated celebration of the recent 30th anniversary of Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, while the second set will deliver a career-spanning journey covering nearly four decades of beloved radio hits, deep cuts, and fan favorites.
Nestled near the Venetian Resort and Wynn Las Vegas just off the iconic Las Vegas Strip, the 17,600-capacity Sphere has completely revolutionized the live entertainment industry since opening its doors in September 2023. Powered by next-generation technologies, the building boasts the world’s highest-resolution LED display, wrapping up, over, and entirely around the audience to create a fully immersive visual environment.
The venue also utilizes the world’s most advanced concert-grade audio system, Sphere Immersive Sound. Powered by HOLOPLOT, the system is designed to deliver audio with unmatched clarity and precision directly to every single guest in the building.
Since its grand opening, the Sphere has successfully hosted exclusive residencies from several legendary rock acts, including U2, Phish, Dead & Company, and The Eagles.
U2 officially inaugurated the building by playing to over 700,000 fans across 40 sold-out dates from September 2023 through March 2024. Utilizing the massive 160,000-square-foot LED screens and exclusive 4D features, the Irish rockers performed their chart-topping 1991 album, Achtung Baby, in its entirety alongside select tracks from the rest of their discography.
Heavy metal titans Metallica are the latest major act to embrace the venue. This past March, the band added 16 dates to their upcoming Sphere residency, effectively tripling the engagement. The 24-date “Life Burns Faster” residency begins in early October and will extend into 2027. Honoring the “No Repeat Weekend” tradition established during the kick-off of the band’s 2023 “M72” world tour, the group promises to perform completely unique setlists on each Thursday and Saturday night appearance.
The Smashing Pumpkins’ “The Rats In A Cage Tour” Dates:
- September 30 – Columbus, OH – The Schottenstein Center
- October 2 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
- October 3 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
- October 4 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
- October 6 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
- October 7 – Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum
- October 9 – Montréal, QC – Centre Bell
- October 11 – Madison, WI – Kohl Center
- October 13 – Saint Paul, MN – Grand Casino Arena
- October 14 – Chicago, IL – United Center
- October 16 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
- October 17 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
- October 18 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena
- October 20 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
- October 22 – Nashville, TN – The Truth
- October 24 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
- October 25 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
- October 27 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
- October 29 – Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center
- October 30 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
- November 1 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
- November 3 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
- November 5 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
- November 6 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
- November 8 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
- November 11 – Phoenix, AZ – Mortgage Matchup Center
- November 12 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
