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GREENSBORO -- Eyebrows were raised when the ballyhooed "reunion" of Smashing Pumpkins in 2006 turned out to involve only two of its four original members.

Frankly, it seemed more like the re-establishing of a bankable brand name than a proper reunion.

These days they're essentially a two-man show, based around the solid core of guitarist/singer Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Onstage, they are rounded out by a bassist, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist who played competently but facelessly, deferring to Corgan's near-total leadership.

That said, the group performed impressively at War Memorial Auditorium Thursday night.

Their noisy intensity, abetted by a stunning light show, made for an evening with some deliriously captivating peaks.

Let me put it like this: The Pumpkins were smashing.

To be honest, the entire evening wasn't exceptional.

For the first half of the two-hour show, the sound was harsh, the singing unintelligible and the guitar playing an undifferentiated mass of feedback and noise.

But then something changed.

The sound quality in the auditorium began to improve. A three-song acoustic interlude seemed to settle and focus the group. Corgan and Chamberlin locked into a tight groove, guitar and drums moving as one with an indomitable force.

The music evinced a greater sense of dynamics, and when the Pumpkins did accelerate into some ferocious, ripping song or section, it seemed more controlled than chaotic.

The second half of the concert was the best hour of rock music I've witnessed all year, and among the most memorable ever.

And those lights! During the dicey first half, the light show threatened to upstage the band.

Once the group found their groove, the lights complemented the music and intensified the overall experience almost to the point of synesthesia.

Eight triangular lighting rigs hung overhead, with four more on the floor. They'd flash different patterns -- triangles, dots, patterns -- in a rapidly oscillating array of neon-bright colors.

The overall effect was to make the audience feel as if they'd tripped through some portal into the future.

Smashing Pumpkins focused heavily on material from "Zeitgeist," their new album, while working in some favorites from the first era, too.

In truth, it often seemed like one long, electrifying, apocalyptic song.

When they dug in and held tight to one of their grungy, high-energy grooves, the cumulative impact was powerful enough to make your bones shudder.

The audience itself helped carry the concert into the stratosphere. They were rabid in their enthusiasm from the outset and only seemed to buoy Smashing Pumpkins to greater heights as the show progressed.

Corgan acknowledged as much after the show.

"You guys did us right tonight," he said, giving the crowd an appreciative thumbs-up.

Parke Puterbaugh is a freelance contributor.