Concert review: Interpol w/ Rival Sons and Smashing Pumpkins | 09.09.23, Ruoff Music Center (Noblesville, IN) (with photo gallery)

Photo of Paul Banks of Interpol by Laura Jerele

Interpol didn’t make a stop in St. Louis on their final leg of their tour with Smashing Pumpkins, so we gladly took a road trip and traveled to Indy to catch the tour’s final stop at the Ruoff Center last Saturday night. Taking the center slot on the bill, their hour-long set was a perfect blend of songs from their seven-album catalog spanning their 20+ year career. Their newest song, “Toni,” started the set with Daniel Kessler on piano, slowly building energy and groove typically done with their signature guitar intros. Drenched in copious amounts of red lights and flashes of stark white light, their mood was set instantly, even if the sun had not quite set when they took the stage.

Classic Interpol hits like “Obstacle 1” and “The New” were perfectly blended with newer songs like “The Rover” and “All the Rage Back Home.” Their drummer, Sam Fogarino, was noticeably absent for medical reasons, but their fill-in drummer Chris Broome held it down nicely and had quite the family fan club in the crowd cheering him on. Paul Banks was ever the perfect mysterious front man, hitting all the melodic vocal nuances that fans come to expect. Bassist Brad Truax held all those classic bass lines that Interpol are known for, especially the intro to “Evil” which made the crowd roar so loud, they practically drowned out the opening vocal lines! This road trip was well worth the time and the miles as Interpol are one of the very best bands you’ll ever see live.

Interpol live at the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, IN. Photo by Laura Jerele.

Rival Sons opened the show with their riff-heavy, bluesy rock making for a musically diverse evening. The nearly full venue and raucous crowd at the start of the show proved that the crowd was there to enjoy each act equally. Rival Sons delivered a set that was headliner worthy and most definitely gained new fans with their very powerful command of the stage.

Rival Sons live at the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, IN. Photo by Laura Jerele.

Smashing Pumpkins closed out the night with a stellar headlining set complete with stark, brooding lighting and moody stage complete with costumes and haunty vibes. Billy Corgan still has his very unique pipes and ever commanding stage presence making him seem larger than life! | Laura Jerele