Melissa Auf der Maur joins Smashing Pumpkins

Melissa Auf der Maur said Billy Corgan told her the Smashing Pumpkins had secured a headlining slot at Lollapalooza and invited her to join the band onstage in Chicago. In an interview published by Guitar World on August 5, Auf der Maur said Corgan delivered the news directly and asked her to sit in for a song. She did, appearing during the band’s July 31 set at Grant Park. The performance added another former member to a show that also featured other guests, according to festival coverage. ### What exactly did Auf der Maur say Corgan told her? Melissa Auf der Maur told Guitar World that Corgan informed her the Smashing Pumpkins had “confirmed headlining Lollapalooza” and then invited her to appear. Guitar World described the exchange as the setup for her surprise return with the band at the Chicago festival. The invitation mattered because Auf der Maur was a former Smashing Pumpkins bassist whose tenure began in 1999 after her run with Hole, as Guitar World’s earlier coverage noted. (guitarworld.com) Her appearance at Lollapalooza was framed by the magazine as part of a continuing connection with Corgan and the band. ### Which song did she play, and when did it happen? July 31 was the date of the Smashing Pumpkins’ Lollapalooza performance in Chicago, and multiple reports said Auf der Maur joined the band for “The Everlasting Gaze.” Consequence and USA Today both identified that song as the one she played during the set. (guitarworld.com 1) (guitarworld.com 2) Pitchfork and the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Pumpkins’ set also included guest appearances by Olivia Rodrigo and Yungblud. Those reports placed Auf der Maur’s cameo within a broader guest-filled hometown performance by the Chicago band. ### Was this actually a Lollapalooza reunion? The Smashing Pumpkins were listed among Lollapalooza 2026 headliners in advance festival coverage, including Time Out Chicago’s lineup report. (consequence.net) Auf der Maur’s account to Guitar World added a backstage explanation of how her appearance came together. NME and Consequence reported that the band had already reunited with Auf der Maur at a pre-Lollapalooza Chicago show days earlier. (pitchfork.com) At that show, she also performed “The Everlasting Gaze,” according to those reports. ### Why did the appearance draw attention? (timeout.com) Chicago was the site of the Smashing Pumpkins’ first Lollapalooza performance in 32 years, according to Consequence, and the band’s return came with several guest spots. USA Today said the set included Olivia Rodrigo, Yungblud and Auf der Maur. Guitar World said Auf der Maur’s appearance “harked directly back to the ’90s,” and Pitchfork described her as one of the musicians who popped up during the headlining set. (nme.com) Those descriptions came from the outlets covering the show rather than from the band itself. ### Where does this leave the story now? Guitar World’s August 5 interview is the clearest published account of how Auf der Maur’s Lollapalooza appearance was arranged. (consequence.net) The performance itself took place on July 31 at Grant Park, where the Smashing Pumpkins appeared as one of the festival’s billed headliners. The next public record is the festival coverage already in circulation: Guitar World’s interview, plus concert reports from Pitchfork, USA Today, the Chicago Sun-Times, NME and Consequence that documented the guests and set details from the Chicago show. (guitarworld.com)