Billy Corgan delivered “Luna” and “Thirty-Three” with his surprise guests
It was the good old Nineties again during the Smashing Pumpkins stunning Lollapalooza performance. To mark the occasion, Billy Corgan surprised the massive Chicago crowd by bringing out special guests Olivia Rodrigo and Yungblud.
Less than an hour after his own high octane set, Yungblud joined the band on stage to deliver a rendition of “Luna,” the closing track on the Smashing Pumpkins’ second studio album, 1993’s Siamese Dream. Yungblud easily took on the song’s euphoric verses as Corgan accompanied on guitar, both clad in all-black, from the four-time-platinum LP. At one point, Yungblud declared, “This is a fucking dream come true!”
Soon after Yungblud stepped off the stage, Corgan had another surprise for the thousands gathered and announced, “And now I’d like to bring out a very, very special guest. Miss Olivia Rodrigo!” As the audience cheered, Rodrigo appeared, or possibly floated, onstage in a sheer baby doll dress and knee high stockings. With Corgan switched to acoustic, Rodrigo sang “Thrity-Three” from Smashing Pumpkins’ chart-topping 1995 album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The scene on stage, with the band and Rodrigo bathed in red light as it rained to the dreamy performance, marked one of the most memorable moments at the fest so far.
Earlier in the week, the Smashing Pumpkins performed at the Lollapalooza aftershow and brought out actor Barry Williams — Greg Brady from The Brady Bunch — to perform the sitcom family’s Seventies hit “It’s a Sunshine Day.” Alongside the unexpected link-up, former Hole bassist (and short-lived Smashing Pumpkins member) Melissa Auf der Maur also performed Machina/The Machines of God’s “The Everlasting Gaze” with the band, as she did when she was a touring member of the group in 2000.
