Sorry, it’s another long one, folks. My weekend started off on a high note, as Friday night was jam-packed with good music. Live 105 presented its annual Not So Silent Night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Smashing Pumpkins headlined, with My Chemical Romance, Phoenix, The Black Keys, Broken Bells and Finish Ticket as the support. As soon as the acts were announced, I knew I had to purchase a ticket. Since the Pavilion is huge, I opted for a seat ticket because I’m not down to get in the pit and try to love someone.

When I got to my seat, the smell of nachos, hot dogs and marijuana wafted through the air as Finish Ticket started their set. A band from Alameda, Calif., they won Live 105’s local band contest to share the stage with such great artists. I’ve heard some of their stuff beforehand and was looking forward to seeing them. I think the voters got it right; their sound fit quite nicely with the rest of the bill. I particularly enjoyed the song, “We’ll Be Okay (Part 2)”. If you go to their Website, you can purchase their music for whatever price you think it’s worth. 

Broken Bells built up their set slowly, and it had a nice chill vibe throughout. I have to say, lead singer James Mercer (of The Shins, if you didn’t know) has a very unique voice, and it’s impressive how great he sounds live. He reminded me a little bit of the Bee Gees when he sang “The Ghost Inside”. The crowd went wild for “High Road”, which was the first single off their self-titled album, released earlier this year.

The Black Keys kicked off their set with “Everlasting Light”, which showcases singer Dan Auerbach’s beautiful falsetto. The set was alive and put the crowd in a dancing mood. Speaking of dancing, Auerbach has quite the James Brown-esque footwork. Their sound is so killer, I can’t even do it justice. “Tighten Up” was a definite crowd favorite, and Patrick Carney is a beast on the drums. When they played “Chop and Change”, I was pretty stoked because I figured they would stick to mostly stuff off of Brothers. They ended the night with just the two of them on stage, which is how they began their journey as a band. I didn’t want their set to end.

I wondered if Phoenix would be able to top The Black Keys, but their energy was electric and just continued to build on the momentum of The Black Keys. They started their set with “Lisztomania”, in dark silhouettes. I heard a few people after the show say that part was cheesy, but I thought it was just the right amount of dramatic. When the chorus came, the lights flashed at high speed and the crowd went wild. Lead singer Thomas Mars uses the stage well, and even jumped into the pit to sing “Lasso” with very excited fans. I loved the way everyone in the arena sang the “heys” during “1901”. Mars stated that it was the last time they would perform songs off of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and that they would be heading back into the studio soon to record. One of the highlights came at the very end, when Mars spiked the mic, then picked it up, ripped the cord off of it, and threw it in the crowd.

I forgot how much I love My Chemical Romance. They were the only band that night that I have seen before, in Las Vegas several years ago, when they were riding the high of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. As soon as lead singer Gerard Way sauntered on stage with is fiery red hair, the crown erupted in cheers and the pit got crazy (sooooo glad I bought a seat ticket). The sea of fist pumping in the pit was unreal to watch. Wow, Way has such a powerful voice. They mixed old songs into the set, and “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” is still a crowd favorite. Now that I’m a teacher, I have a newfound appreciation for the song “Teenagers”. And, “Helena” is just as beautiful to hear live now as it was when it first acme out. Way mentioned that the band hadn’t been to the Bay Area in a while, and they really shouldn’t stay away for long periods of time. They have such a huge following here.

Now, to the main event. I should tell you now that Smashing Pumpkins is one of my top three favorite bands of all time. I was a teenager during the grunge period, and I cried when I played my Siamese Dream cassette tape so much that it broke (my awesome brother fixed it for me). I have never seen Smashing Pumpkins live because the only time I was able to, I broke my leg a week before the show and this was before venues had wheelchair accessibility, and I couldn’t go around on crutches because the cast was too heavy. So, it’s safe to say that I’ve been looking forward to this moment for quite some time.

I tried to keep my expectations at a low level, considering this is not the same band I grew up loving. It’s just Billy Corgan and three kids who I don’t even know the names of. But, as the set started, I realized that Corgan is the most important piece of the band, anyway (Sorry! Just being honest). They played more old stuff than new, which was a good move because there were plenty of people around me who came out only to hear the old songs. The coolest part was that I could see Gerard Way from the side of the stage, rocking out to “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”. Man, Corgan is such an amazing guitar player. Definite veteran here, folks.

My night, and probably my life, was complete as soon as Corgan strummed the first few chords to “Drown”, my all-time favorite song. You know that feeling you get when you first realize you’re in love, and you see that person for the first time after you’ve figured out how you feel? You see them, and your heart swells to the point where you think it might actually explode out of your chest, and your head feels light. Well, that’s exactly how I felt when the song started. I was in a dreamlike state the entire time they played. My sister later asked me if Friday was the greatest day I’ll ever know. Haha.

So, as you can tell, my night was fantastic. I took some video, which you can check out on this blog’s YouTube channel in the next day or so.