If you grew up with the sound of alternative rock pouring out of your bedroom speakers in the '90s, November just got a lot more exciting for Portland.
The Smashing Pumpkins are officially headed to the Rose City this fall as part of a major North American arena run celebrating one of the most influential albums of the decade. Portland's stop lands at the Moda Center on November 1, giving Oregon fans a chance to step back into an era defined by distorted guitars, dreamy melodies, and unforgettable songs that helped shape a generation.
This is not just another greatest hits tour.
Billy Corgan and the band are building the experience around Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, their landmark 1995 double album that produced iconic tracks like "1979," "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "Tonight, Tonight," and "Zero." The upcoming run, called the Rats in a Cage Tour, will feature a unique format split into two very different experiences.
The first portion of the evening will lean entirely into Mellon Collie, presented in a more theatrical setting designed to bring the album's larger ideas and atmosphere to life. The second half opens things up considerably, pulling from the band's massive catalog that stretches from early releases all the way through their more recent work.
For longtime fans, that means there is a very real possibility of hearing deep cuts alongside familiar favorites.
Billy Corgan said the idea has been floating around for years before finally becoming reality. According to him, creating a Mellon Collie-focused live experience had been discussed for more than a decade before all the pieces finally lined up.
For Portland, the timing feels especially fitting.
November in Oregon already has a soundtrack of its own. The leaves are mostly gone, the skies are darker, rain taps against windows, and suddenly songs like "Tonight, Tonight" and "Thirty-Three" seem like they belong in the Pacific Northwest all over again. There is something about Smashing Pumpkins music that always seemed to fit gray weather and introspective drives.
Fans around Portland will likely turn this into more than just a concert night. Expect pre-show gatherings downtown, packed restaurants around the arena district, and a healthy dose of people dusting off vintage band shirts that may have survived since the Clinton administration.
The tour itself kicks off September 30 in Ohio and winds through major cities across North America before reaching Portland and continuing north to Vancouver and Seattle.
Tickets move quickly whenever bands with this kind of legacy roll through town, especially when the show itself offers something different from a standard arena set. Presales begin May 19, with general ticket sales opening May 21.
Portland Show Details
Band: The Smashing Pumpkins
Tour: Rats in a Cage Tour
Date: Sunday, November 1, 2026
Venue: Moda Center
Location: Portland, Oregon
For Oregon fans who wore out their CD copies years ago or younger listeners discovering the band for the first time, Portland is getting a pretty memorable stop on this tour. And for one night in November, the world may indeed be a vampire again.
