Seeing SP in reunited form was a bittersweet experience: though it’s not the original lineup, the music sounded as loud and therapeutic as it did when blasting out of Generation X’s stereo.

The night got off to a shaky start for the crowd, with the band starting half an hour earlier than scheduled. This reviewer would have missed the gig had her companion not looked at the amended times posted above the entrance doors; let’s just say I’ve never ran that fast at the sound of guitars.

However, all was forgiven once they launched into Porcelina, and thus two and a half hours of ecstatic screaming and jumping began. Corgan was a force unto himself, maintaining his masculinity despite being dressed like futuristic flapper in a full-length metallic skirt.

His ego was undeniable, the evening peppered with sarcastic quips and a particularly bemusing version of Britney’s ‘Piece of Me’ which left most of the headbanging portion looking bewildered. But this is the contradiction which makes SP so fascinating to see live; they create bleak songs for jaded youth, yet play them with smiling faces.

With seven albums to their name, they performed an admirable mix of new and old, although the crowd was mostly disinterested in songs from their latest offering, Zeitgeist. They quickly hit a high point, with the first strings of Tonight, Tonight sending hairs on end and shivers down spines. By the end of the song, the audience was spellbound by Corgan. He proved to be a riveting persona, shredding his guitar in lengthy distorted solos, expelling a sporadic yelp into the mic whenever the mood struck him.

Despite a setlist specialising in broken-hearted songs, Corgan cracked jokes and avoided cheesy Australia-related banter, instead illuminating his fans with Peter Garrett anecdotes. He seemed genuinely happy to be on stage, continually grinning whilst jamming with his bandmates. Chamberlin owned the drums, commanding the audience with vicious thuds and gelling perfectly with Corgan’s often self-indulgent riffing.

The newer band members kept up the pace, matching each other note for note, but let’s face it, a SP show is essentially the Billy Corgan show. This became even more prominent during Corgan’s acoustic performance of crowd favourite 1979, with his hushed voice barely heard over the 3000+ strong crowd matching him word for word, proving to be the highlight of the evening.

They may have overstayed their welcome by 20 minutes or so, and they certainly left out some songs which, had they been included, would have taken the gig up a notch. Nonetheless, the sheer joy on Corgan’s face said it all, he got what he wanted, his beloved band and an evening that cannot be duplicated.