Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan and Melissa⁤ Auf der ‍Maur Reunite Onstage

Billy Corgan, currently​ touring North America with his solo project, Billy Corgan and The Machines⁣ Of God, brought a⁢ special guest to his Montreal show. Melissa Auf der Maur, who played bass for the Smashing Pumpkins from 1999 to ‌2000, ‌joined Corgan onstage, marking⁣ a memorable ⁤reunion for fans of the iconic band. The tour commemorates the⁤ 30th anniversary of ‘Mellon Collie and⁤ the Infinite Sadness’ and the 25th anniversary of ​’machina/The ⁤Machines Of God’.

Auf der Maur,who previously played ‍with Hole,surprised the audience⁤ by appearing for the final song of ‍the⁢ night,’The Everlasting Gaze‘. She was featured in the‍ song’s music video in 2000.

Corgan acknowledged the ​special moment on social media, thanking ⁢Auf der Maur ⁣for joining The Machines of God in Montreal.

Before the performance, Auf ⁢der Maur addressed ⁢the montreal‌ crowd in French⁢ before switching‌ to English. She reminisced about meeting Corgan ⁤in‌ 1991, recalling an incident involving⁣ a broken beer bottle.”On behalf ⁢of Montreal, Canada, I apologize for the broken beer bottle that was ⁢thrown at him,” she joked. “I’m ⁣Melissa ‌from Montreal, and⁤ I ⁣will​ follow you until the end​ of time.”

Auf der Maur stepped in for ‍D’arcy Wretzky in September ⁢1999 and ‍performed‌ live at⁤ all Smashing Pumpkins shows until their initial breakup in⁤ 2000. In a 2018 interview, Corgan explained that Auf der Maur never considered herself a permanent member of the ‍band.

It’s not even worth getting into ⁢that history. I don’t have any ill will towards⁣ Melissa, but she never⁣ considered herself to‍ be part of the unit and made it very clear‌ that she didn’t ever want to be considered part of the ‌unit posthumously. It was kind of like, ‘I’ll do this for this ⁢window,’ ‍Corgan said.

What’s⁤ next

Corgan’s solo tour continues across North America through the end of June. The Smashing Pumpkins are scheduled to perform at Gunnersbury Park in London‌ later this ⁢summer, with Skunk Anansie and White Lies ‍as special guests.