The Smashing Pumpkins - Rats In A Cage Tour brings Mellon Collie back on stage

The Smashing Pumpkins mark a major live return in 2026 with The Rats In A Cage Tour, an arena run built around their classic album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. According to a tour announcement from May 2026, the band will play a series of dates from late September through mid-November across North America, including a headline slot at Lollapalooza in Chicago and a closing appearance at the Darker Waves Festival in Huntington Beach, California Red Light Management tour announcement.

The Rats In A Cage Tour schedule

The core of The Rats In A Cage Tour runs from September 30, 2026 to November 14, 2026 and focuses on large arenas in the United States and Canada. The run begins at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio on September 30 before moving on to major cities such as Boston, Baltimore, Brooklyn and Chicago Ticketmaster tour feature.

After the Columbus opener, the band is scheduled to play TD Garden in Boston on October 2, CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore on October 3 and Barclays Center in Brooklyn on October 4. Further October stops include PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on October 6, TD Coliseum in Hamilton on October 7 and Centre Bell in Montreal on October 9, followed by dates in Madison, Saint Paul and a return to Chicago’s United Center later in the month.

Anniversary focus on Mellon Collie

The tour is explicitly billed as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the double album originally released in 1995. The concept pairs a full night themed around the record with an additional set that spans nearly four decades of Smashing Pumpkins material, from early alternative rock cuts to more recent releases official tour information site.

This structure reflects the album’s status in alternative rock history, where it became one of the defining releases of the mid-1990s and later earned RIAA Diamond certification in the United States. By placing an entire set around Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and a second around the rest of their catalog, the band offers a combination of full-album nostalgia and broader career overview in a single evening.

Where the band stands live in 2026

The next confirmed live date for The Smashing Pumpkins is their arena show at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio on September 30, 2026, which serves as the official start of The Rats In A Cage Tour and sets the tone for the rest of the North American run.

The musical core of The Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins are widely associated with a blend of alternative rock, grunge-era distortion and melodic guitar work, anchored by Billy Corgan’s distinctive vocals and songwriting. Albums such as Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and later releases have helped define their mix of heavy riffs, dynamic shifts and more orchestral arrangements.