Billy Corgan Is Now Pulling A Scott Weiland

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Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan debuted original Christmas music recently in Chicago at his Madame ZuZu’s Teahouse. The late Scott Weiland released a Christmas album ‘The Most Wonderful Time of Year’ in 2011 and did Christmas shows surrounding its release.

Billy Corgan performs Christmas shows

It was a couple of months ago Billy Corgan performed a bunch of early Smashing Pumpkins songs and pre-Pumpkins material at a series of special acoustic shows at Madame Zuzu’s, his vegan tea shop in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

He recently returned to the same stage over the weekend for a pair of Christmas shows credited to “the Corgan family and friends” with proceeds benefitting the animal shelter PAWS Chicago. Santa was also present, which occasioned this lovely family portrait of Corgan, partner Chloe Mendel, and their two kids:

Footage from Saturday’s show has made its way online, including a very cute video of Corgan singing the Christmas standard “Do You Hear What I Hear?” with his young daughter. He also debuted two unreleased holiday-themed originals, “Evergreen” and “The Magi And The Shiny Bright.”

He and Mendel recently joined Cameo “for a very limited time,” also to benefit PAWS. Lastly, and most solemnly, ahead of the Christmas shows he spoke about the death of his father.

It was recently announced that Foo Fighters and The Smashing Pumpkins will be playing at the 2022 Beale Street Music Festival, which is set to take place from April 29 to May 1 in Memphis, Tennessee. Other artists on the bill include Modest Mouse, Dirty Honey, The Glorious Sons and Toad the Wet Sprocket. More acts will be announced at a later date. You can check out more details about the show at MemphisinMay.org.

The entire lineup of more than 60 artists will be announced in early February.  The Smashing Pumpkins were originally on the 2020 Beale Street lineup before the festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 festival was scrapped, as well.