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The Rats in a Cage tour took over Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome last night.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness, the album is actually 31 now. Kind of brilliant the set-list contains 31 songs.

Throughout the show, Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin were bathed in the streaming and flashing lights.

For the tour Kiki Wong and Jack Bates came along as well. I could feel the energy though Kiki’s headbanging, which held steady through the rock songs.

Music is such an incredulous thing, the physical reactions and emotional value that can come from a few notes.

The Smashing Pumpkins sounds layered beautifully last night, with so many aspects to each and every calculated melody.

In person, each of the differing aspects to make certain sounds become so much more noticeable.

When there was guitar feedback, my ears vibrated, and with each beat of the drum I felt it through my chest. Maybe the physical experience, of being enveloped, wrapped in the music is why concerts are such sought-out expirences.

Concerts seem to take whatever you felt for the music before, and make it all-the-more tangible and lasting.

Each one of the guitarists seemed to play with ease, it is astounding. Hearing every strum and combination of strings and instruments uniting through the songs, yet standing out in others.

Drummer, Chamberlin really got his moment at the end of the show, the whole space consumed by reverberating drums.

Galapagos felt really magical. Corgan’s voice is unreal, his sound is so unique and it was unfaltering through the show.

The colours chosen in the lighting heightened it for me, with lots of blues, some oranges and yellows mixed in, a fair share of intense red and pinky purples.

Within the distinctive sound of the band, there is still wild variety. From alternative rock, grunge, art-rock, electronic, psychedelia and beyond to something called shoegaze.

The Smashing Pumpkins are undeniably ethereal in sound, and the compositions create genuine emotion and of course melancholy, perhaps even infinite sadness.

There is sorrow and anger, Corgan made a comment about sorrow being the family business.

Iha said he hoped everyone and a relatively good time. The entirety of the band seemed to have that depreciating humor that becomes so relatable.

Corgan was not afraid to express his love for Calgary, and Canada altogether.

With murk in the current relations of Canada and the States I think it is refreshing to see gratitude and slight jokes around tensions. As it has been a vital issue as of late.

The guitars, voices, drums and bass swaddled me, from my second-story seat. Section 227 offered a commendable view.

Honestly, at concerts the nose-bleeds are usually my place and I have never had a bad seat.

I adore the Smashing pumpkins, their ability to create such meaning and prominent feeling though music. I wonder if there is a scientific explanation for shivers when listening to music.

The physical response of hairs standing on edge from alluring, effective sounds.

Thankyou to music, to rock and The Smashing Pumpkins of course.