Tickets are on sale for the world-premiere performances of A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness — a historic event produced by Lyric Opera of Chicago in partnership with Billy Corgan that celebrates the 30th anniversary of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the era-defining album from The Smashing Pumpkins — on stage at Lyric for seven performances only, November 21–30, 2025.
Tickets, starting at $59, will be available at lyricopera.org/melloncollie beginning Friday, April 11 at 10 a.m. Central time. Performance dates for A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness are November 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, and 30. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago.
Please note: Ticket buyers will need to have a current Lyric account to secure tickets. Creating an account in advance is highly encouraged and can be easily done at lyricopera.org/account, prior to the April 11 on-sale. In anticipation of great demand, a limit of nine tickets per order will be in effect. Lyric’s Audience Services team is available to help with questions via a dedicated Mellon Collie hotline at 312.500.6380.
Please note: Lyric Opera of Chicago is the only authorized seller of official tickets to A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness. All sales are final. There will be no ticket refunds or exchanges for these performances. Digital tickets will be sent at least 48 hours prior to performances. Groups of 10 or more can secure their tickets by contacting Group Sales at
groupsales@lyricopera.org. The Lyric Box Office at 20 N. Wacker Drive is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is now cashless, taking credit-card purchases only.
These one-of-a-kind performances will harness all of Lyric’s technical and artistic forces — including the epic sound of the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Lyric Opera Chorus, with special guest vocal artists — for an immersive sonic and visual experience that blurs the boundaries of opera, rock, and performance art. The newly commissioned arrangements and orchestrations are by Corgan and James Lowe, who also conducts, and costumes are designed for the House of Gilles by Gilles and Chloé Mendel Corgan.
"It is thrilling to collaborate with Lyric head John Mangum, my musical partner James Lowe, and all of the artists at Lyric in reimagining this very special and historic album, and to discover how Lyric’s full operatic treatment is helping me experience my own compositions in powerful new ways," says Billy Corgan. "Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions, and I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work; for the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way."
"I’m excited that unique performances like A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness can open the aperture and expand the definition of opera and what an American opera company can be," says John Mangum, General Director, President & CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago. "Lyric's next season clearly illustrates how this company continues to push the art form forward and create new work — like the Mellon Collie project — that can only happen in Chicago."
As commissioned and produced by Lyric Opera of Chicago, Corgan’s hometown company, this unique collaboration was announced by Lyric as a highlight of the company’s 2025/26 Season, its first complete season under the leadership of Mangum. In addition to A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness, Lyric’s 2025/26 Season features a rich mix of traditional operas and other live performances, from Medea and Madama Butterfly to Carmina Burana and the world premiere of safronia, an Afro-surrealist opera featuring music and text by Chicago Poet Laureate avery r. young.
More information on A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness is at lyricopera.org/melloncollie.
About Billy Corgan
Beyond founding and fronting GRAMMY® Award-winning band The Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan stands out as a solo artist, producer, songwriter, poet, wrestling promoter, podcast host, and café owner. His solo catalog comprises TheFutureEmbrace [2005], Aegea [2014], Ogilala [2017], and, most recently, Cotillions [2019]. In the studio, he has notably collaborated with everyone from Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Rick Ocasek, Cheap Trick, Ray Davies, New Order, Marianne Faithful, and Scorpions to Korn, Phantogram, The Veronicas, and Code Orange. He has also contributed music to soundtracks such as Ransom directed by Academy® Award winner Ron Howard, Stigmata, and Spun, to name a few. He released his first poetry book, Blinking with Fists, in 2004. A lifelong wrestling aficionado, he owns and serves as president of The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)—home to a dynamic roster and bombastic pay-per-view spectacles. He notably owns Madame ZuZu’s Tea House in Highland Park, IL, where he often performs intimate surprise sets, and recently debuted his new podcast, "The Magnificent Others," under Bill Maher’s production company, Club Random Studios. Corgan also remains a staunch animal advocate who supports NO Kill shelters such as PAWS Chicago. The Chicago native is constantly writing and recording new music.
About House of Gilles
House of Gilles is a Haute Couture house rooted in craftsmanship and artistry. A sixth-generation family business, it was founded by Gilles Mendel and Chloé Mendel Corgan, merging a legacy of savoir-faire with modernity to create exquisite garments in New York City. Renowned for dressing life’s greatest moments, from bridal to red carpet, the house also designed costumes for the 2024 New York City Ballet Fashion Gala. House of Gilles embodies elegance, precision, and innovation, redefining the couture experience. Gilles Mendel, a CFDA honoree, Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt National Design Award winner, and member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, brings decades of expertise to every creation. At House of Gilles, couture is an experience — where craftsmanship, heritage, and personal storytelling meet.
About Lyric
Lyric Opera of Chicago is committed to redefining what it means to experience great opera. The company is driven to deliver consistently excellent artistry through innovative, relevant, celebratory programming that engages and energizes new and traditional audiences.
Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO John Mangum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Lyric is dedicated to reflecting, and drawing strength from, the diversity of Chicago. Lyric offers, through innovation, collaboration, and evolving learning opportunities, ever-more exciting, accessible, and thought-provoking audience and community experiences. We also stand committed to training the artists of the future, through The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center; and to becoming increasingly diverse across our audiences, staff, programming, and artists — magnifying the welcoming pull of our art form, our company, and our city.
Through the timeless power of voice, the splendor of a great orchestra and chorus, theater, dance, design, and truly magnificent stagecraft, Lyric is devoted to immersing audiences in worlds both familiar and unexpected, creating shared experiences that resonate long after the curtain comes down.
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For more information, visit lyricopera.org.
Lyric’s presentation of Billy Corgan’s A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness is generously made possible by Abbott.
Lyric Opera of Chicago acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
Photo: John Shaw/Lyric Opera of Chicago