Jimmy Chamberlin Complex - January 15, 2005
The Double Door; Chicago, IL

Streetcrawler
Cranes of Prey
Life Begins Again
P.S.A.
Love is Real
Time Shift
Newerwaves
Owed to Darryl
-Encore-
Loki Cat (Billy Corgan on vocals)

This show was the culmination of a long day in Chicago, filled with shopping and dining (at Carmine's...a great Italian place a few blocks west of the Miracle Mile).  The best part of this show was how close I was able to get to the stage without being crushed by a wall of humanity...the venue is a basically bar, but it has a step that sticks out about 2 feet and runs the entire length of the wall to the right of the stage.  This is handy not only for being able to see above the crowd, but for sitting down on between bands. We were at the front of this step, which placed us very close to the band...This was especially cool when Corgan came out at the end.

Corgan's performance was certainly the highlight of the show, as I hadn't seen him play since April 2003 in Buffalo...and from much farther away.  The opening band was even decent, though I can't recall their name right now.  The Complex didn't vary too much from the album versions, but played the songs louder and with little improvs thrown in here and there.  Although I like the album, I was honestly more impressed with this show than I thought I would be.
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The additional comments below were originally posed on Netphoria:

I agree the show was solid, and it was indeed a special moment to see Jimmy and Billy playing on the same stage together again for the first time in a while. I know the microphones were screwy for the first line of Lokicat, but I thought they were better after that. It was weird to see Corgan on stage sans a musical instrument.

The Complex played tight, and the songs come across stronger and more powerful when played live. The musicians are indeed talented. It'd be nice to see them again. I hope they tour as openers for a bigger act in the near future.

Jimmy talked about being overwhelmed by the response (sold out show, enthusiastic crowd) and seemed to be on the verge of crying as he waved goodbye at the end. Did anybody else think this? He was obviously moved.

I had never been to the Double Door before - I must say that it is an extremely small, very cool venue. I can't imagine what it would've been like to see the shows there in 1995. The stage is very small, and the place fills up quickly. Speaking as someone who doesn't like to be shoved around alot, I think this venue would be a pain for a concert with a really heavy act. For JCC, it was perfect.

It was really fucking cold. They let us in the doors late, and the music started even later. But it was worth the drive there and back.

I'd love to see pics that people took. And of course please let us all know if you got anything recorded...no one was frisked at the door!