December 2022

On October 7th, the Spirits on Fire Tour came through Amalie Arena, the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa, Flor- ida. Boasting two alternative rock icons in Smashing Pumpkins and Jane’s Addic- tion, this tour has been a must-see for the fall ever since it was announced several months ago. Over the course of the night, both bands brought their A-game and made the night truly memorable. Opening the show was up-and-coming sensation Poppy. With her blend of pop and rock with a flair for the experimental, her set brought the level of insanity that made her a viral sensation. Performing selections from several albums as well as her song “Breeders”, which was popular- ized through its use in WWE NXT, she both went back to her early days while giving newer fans a taste of her upcoming music as well. Overall, she did a good job to set the scene for the two bands coming later while also being a memorable part of the show in her own right. At a quarter until eight, it was finally time for the first band people had shown up for to take the stage, the iconic Jane’s Ad- diction. Despite not having Dave Navar- ro on guitar due to his battle with long COVID, the trailblazing group that cre- ated Lollapalooza found no issue creat- ing a festival-type atmosphere for their fans. Rounded out by touring guitarist and long-time Queens of the Stone Age member Troy Van Leeuwen, as well as longtime bassist Eric Avery and drum- mer Stephen Perkins, the immortal Per- ry Farrell strutted on stage dressed like a rhinestone cowboy to a raucous applause. With his falsetto vocals and banter with the crowd, it was clear that despite being on the road for more than three decades he, and the band, have never lost a step. The band was visually supported by trippy visuals, which helped fans envision what the foursome imagined when they wrote classic hits like “Mountain Song”, “Been Caught Stealing”, and “Jane Says”. Overall, the group did a fantastic job entertaining the crowd for an hour by not just high- lighting their own music, but also prepar- ing the audience for the show’s headliner. Smashing Pumpkins and Jane’s Addiction Set Amalie Arena On Fire Review by Sully Smith | Photos by Travis Failey 16