The '90s Music Weekend of My Dreams

The plan: Smashing Pumpkins on Saturday night, followed by a Pearl Jam show on Sunday evening that was postponed by the band. Best laid plans and all that.

Credit: Hali Tauxe / IndyStar

Last weekend was supposed to be the ‘90s weekend of my dreams. In truth, it ended up being half that, which is still pretty cool.

The plan was to see both The Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam in the same 24 hour span (the former on Saturday night and the latter on Sunday night), but at the last minute—approximately 2:00pm EDT on Sunday afternoon—Pearl Jam announced that they would have to postpone due to illness. LiveNation is also offering full refunds (!) if you can’t make the rescheduled show, the date of which has not yet been announced.

Saturday night I saw The Smashing Pumpkins at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center (the official name) in Noblesville, Indiana. It was an amazing show. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Billy Corgan sounds exactly like he did in 1995 when I first heard Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, a ballsy double album that effectively silenced critics’ sneering assumption that it would be, like many double albums, a self-indulgent flop. In a 2012 retrospective, Pitchfork called it “one of the most generous records of the decade.” As a young teenager just starting to figure stuff out on my own, Mellon Collie was everything I needed.

But Siamese Dream, a mostly unheralded release from 1993, is the album that really got me listening closely to the Pumpkins for the rest of that glorious decade—and through the rest of my teenage years.

What really impressed me the most about the Pumpkins’ Saturday night set is that they mostly stuck with the classics, like if you pull up their top hits on Spotify, that’s more or less what they played. I didn’t write it all down, but I know they played

• “Disarm” from Siamese Dream

• “Tonight, Tonight” from Mellon Collie (with the wonderfully weird video using visual elements of Georges Méliès' silent film A Trip to the Moon)

• “Zero,” also from Mellon Collie

• “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” (Mellon Collie)

• “Today” from Siamese Dream

• “Hummer,” also from Siamese Dream and one of my all-time faves.

• And a bunch of slightly newer stuff that was good but not necessarily why I went to the show.

I have often opined that the state of music from roughly 1991 to 1996 was that era’s fertile crescent. When people reminisce about ‘90s music, this is the era they’re thinking of—not the Limp Bizkit/Nickelback/Christina Aguilera-soaked late 1990s, which is perhaps a topic for another post, on another day.

This is borne out by the fact the early ‘90s lays claim to some of the most iconic albums in the history of recorded music—and from a wide array of styles and genres, a few of which were either established or gained mainstream popularity during this era. To wit:

1. Nirvana - Nevermind (1991): This album is often credited with bringing grunge music into the mainstream and is a cornerstone of '90s alternative rock.

2. Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992): A landmark in West Coast hip-hop, this album introduced Dr. Dre as a solo artist and helped popularize G-funk.

3. Radiohead - Pablo Honey (1993): While not their most critically acclaimed album, this one introduced Radiohead to the world with the hit single "Creep."

4. Pearl Jam - Ten (1991): Another essential album in the grunge movement, Ten showcased Pearl Jam's distinctive sound and features hits like "Alive" and "Jeremy."

5. Radiohead - The Bends (1995): The critically acclaimed follow up to 1993’s Pablo Honey, The Bends was both ahead of its time and the last “rock” album Radiohead would make. It was an omen of good things to come.

6. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (1991): A seminal album in hip-hop, this record is celebrated for its jazzy beats and intelligent lyrics.

7. R.E.M. - Out of Time (1991): This album marked R.E.M.'s transition to a more mainstream sound and includes the hit song "Losing My Religion."

8. Metallica - Metallica (also known as "The Black Album") (1991): This self-titled album features some of Metallica's most iconic tracks, including "Enter Sandman." Also, the album cover is famous because “it can’t be none more black.”

9. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle (1993): Another West Coast hip-hop classic, this album helped establish Snoop Dogg as a rap superstar.

10. PJ Harvey - Rid of Me (1993): An influential album in the alternative rock and indie scenes, PJ Harvey's "Rid of Me" is known for its raw, intense sound.

11. Oasis - Definitely Maybe (1994): A defining album in the Britpop movement, Oasis burst onto the scene with this record, which includes hits like "Live Forever" and "Supersonic."

12. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1992): This album combined rock and rap in a politically charged mix, featuring tracks like "Killing in the Name."

13. Björk - Debut (1993): An innovative and experimental album that introduced Björk as a solo artist and showcased her unique sound.