At Montréal’s Théâtre Beanfield, the crowd went wild when Melissa joined Billy Corgan for a stirring version of a Smashing Pumpkins classic, “The Everlasting Gaze.” The June 13 show was part of the A Return to Zero Tour. Billy is the Smashing Pumpkin’s lead singer, and Auf der Maur is its former bassist.
Speaking in both French and English, she told the packed venue about her first meeting with Corgan in 1991. Then, she asked him if he remembered what their first conversation was. According to NME, she continued, “I’m Melissa from Montréal, and I will follow you until the end of time.” After the concert, The Smashing Pumpkins wrote, “Merci to Melissa Auf der Maur for joining The Machines of God tonight in Montréal!” on Instagram.
The night marked their first stage collaboration since 2000. Auf der Maur switched from Hole to fill the bass spot with The Smashing Pumpkins in 1999 for a brief but intense year.
The shows will spotlight music from several classic records, including Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and Machina/The Machines of God. Corgan performs with his new band, The Machines of God, instead of the original Pumpkins lineup. He said he decided to tour without the Pumpkins temporarily because of disagreements about the band’s direction. He prefers to perform on his own terms.
The tour winds down at Minneapolis’ Varsity Theater on June 29. Then, Corgan will take the Smashing Pumpkins across three continents starting in July. A special edition of Mellon Collie may be upcoming as well.
