For 2026, we’re launching a new web series called “Yea, I Was There,” taking short dives into legendary concerts that have passed through Oxford, Mississippi over the last 60 years. We’ll spotlight iconic shows—from B.B. King and Bob Dylan to Fugazi, R.E.M., and countless Proud Larry’s gigs—along with streaming links and videos when available.

We’re also looking for your stories and memorabilia, so if you were there (or still have the poster or T-shirt), email us and help keep Oxford’s music history alive.

 

“And for you, thanks for being an asshole.” -Billy Corgan, on stage in Oxford, 1994

 

The Smashing Pumpkins performed at the Tad Smith Coliseum at Ole Miss on April 6th, 1994, during their Siamese Dream tour. The album was released in 1993 to huge acclaim bringing the band a much larger audience. The band, apparently, did not enjoy playing in Oxford, as the show was cut short, at only ~45 minutes long, with Billy Corgan leaving the stage early. Corgan’s patience diminishes as the show goes on often jeering at the audience. Some reports mention the crowd yelling for “Lynyrd Skynyrd” throughout the show, annoying Corgan and the band. Other reports from online claim someone from the audience threw a shoe, or a bottle, at Corgan. Red Red Meat opened the show. You can hear the whole (short) show at the bottom of this post.

See The Daily Mississippian headline a few days after the show:

The band teased Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” during their set, which wasn’t uncommon for Smashing Pumpkins gigs at the time. However, ironically, Kurt Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home just a few days later on April 8, 1994. Strange coincidence.

 

Tickets to the show were $15.

This was the first time the band ever played in Mississippi. They played in Biloxi a few days after the Oxford show (you can watch that whole show below). The Pumpkins played Biloxi again in 1996, and didn’t play a show in Mississippi again until coming to Southaven, MS in 2024.

 

SETLIST: Disarm, Rocket, Geek U.S.A., Drown, Hummer, Quiet, I Am One, Soma (followed by a tease of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”), Today, and Cherub Rock

Download or stream the show here.

Hear the entire show below:

 

The back of tour shirt from 1994 including the Oxford date:

 

Here’s a full video of the Smashing Pumpkins show in Biloxi, MS, just a few days after the Oxford show. This is the day the world found out about the death of Kurt Cobain: