Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 7 - A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness

21 | Lyric Opera of Chicago Photo by Lyle A. Waisman/Getty Images F or some, it’s a return to younger days clad in a black and silver ZERO shirt at school or at the mall. A symbol that you, too, knew “the silence of the world,” as one lyric put it. For others, these performances may be an introduction to The Smashing Pumpkins live experience, after discovering the music through social videos or even an older relative. Regardless of whether this is your first show or if you were in the crowds for the earliest days at the Cabaret Metro and Avalon Niteclub, we congregate now at the Lyric Opera House, in the city by the lake, where the impossible is possible. Tonight, tonight. Jaime Black is the founder and host of Dynasty Podcasts, which has showcased Chicago’s creative communities and professional industries since 2005. He has previously held senior producer positions at radio stations like Q101 and WBEZ. Photo by Lyle A. Waisman/Getty Images