Alternative rock royalty The Smashing Pumpkins have officially cracked open the vault of ‘90s sadness, fuzz pedals, and glorious emotional chaos with the announcement of the Rats in a Cage Tour — a massive North American trek celebrating 30 years of the legendary Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. 🔥🎸
And honestly, butt… this is HUGE.
If you grew up staring moodily out of rain-covered bus windows while “1979” blasted through your headphones pretending you were the main character in an indie film… this tour was basically made for you. 😭🌧️🖤
Led by the ever-enigmatic Billy Corgan, the band will perform the iconic 1995 double album in FULL across 27 dates throughout North America — while also delivering a second set featuring classic hits and deeper cuts pulled from nearly four decades of beautifully weird Pumpkins history.
Which means yes…
You’ll probably cry.
You’ll definitely sing.
And somebody’s dad is absolutely going to lose his mind during “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.” 🐀🔥🍺
🌙 THE ALBUM THAT DEFINED A GENERATION
When Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness dropped back in 1995, it didn’t just become an album — it became an era.
A sprawling 28-track masterpiece balancing dreamy melancholy, crushing alt-rock riffs, orchestral drama, and pure teenage existential crisis energy, the record transformed The Smashing Pumpkins into one of the biggest bands on Earth.
The album gave us timeless anthems like:
🎵 “1979”
🎵 “Tonight, Tonight”
🎵 “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”
🎵 “Zero”
🎵 “Thirty-Three”
🎵 “Muzzle”
🎵 “Cupid de Locke”
…and somehow managed to soundtrack every goth kid, skater, outsider, and emotionally confused teenager across the planet at the exact same time. 😅🖤
Even now, thirty years later, the album still feels massive. Cinematic. Emotional. Weird. Dangerous.
Exactly how rock music SHOULD feel, mun. 🤘
🐀 WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE RATS IN A CAGE TOUR
According to the band’s newly released promo video, fans can expect:
🔥 A FULL live performance of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
🔥 A second set packed with “unruly hits and dark treasures”
🔥 Deep cuts for hardcore fans
🔥 Massive visuals
🔥 Maximum nostalgia
🔥 At least one bloke in oversized jeans crying during “Tonight, Tonight”
Honestly, this sounds less like a concert and more like a giant travelling alternative rock therapy session. 😭🎸
And we are VERY here for it.
🎟 TOUR DATES & CITIES
The tour kicks off September 30 in Columbus, Ohio before rolling through major cities across North America including:
📍 Boston
📍 New York
📍 Chicago
📍 Denver
📍 Las Vegas
📍 Seattle
📍 Los Angeles
The final show lands November 12 at the legendary Forum in Los Angeles — which feels exactly like the dramatic ending a Smashing Pumpkins anniversary tour deserves. 🌙✨
🎤 WHY THIS TOUR MATTERS
A lot of anniversary tours feel like bands dusting off old records for an easy payday.
This doesn’t feel like that.
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness genuinely changed alternative music. It shaped an entire generation of bands and fans. It proved rock music could be theatrical, vulnerable, angry, beautiful, and absolutely enormous all at once.
And hearing that album performed live from start to finish?
That’s bucket-list stuff for thousands of fans.
Whether you were there in 1995 or discovered the album years later while doom-scrolling at 2am, this tour feels like a celebration of everything weird, emotional, loud, and magical about alternative rock. 🖤
🤘 RIFF REPORT VERDICT
This could easily become one of the most talked-about rock tours of 2026.
The Smashing Pumpkins revisiting one of the most important alternative albums ever made?
Playing it IN FULL?
With extra hits on top?
C’MON NOW. That’s arena-sized nostalgia done properly. 🔥🐀🎸
Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to dramatically stare at the ceiling while listening to “Tonight, Tonight” and pretending we’re in a black-and-white MTV video from 1996.
YESS MUN.
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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