My Chemical Romance Covers Smashing Pumpkins With Billy Corgan

My Chemical Romance has covered Smashing Pumpkins’ 1995 rock radio staple “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” on a handful of occasions during its massive summer tour, but the rendition tonight (Aug. 29) at Chicago’s Soldier Field had extra bite. The group welcomed Pumpkins frontman and Windy City native Billy Corgan to guest on the tune, which closed the evening.

My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way related a story about being “super sad” during the COVID-19 pandemic and having a momentous reaction while watching an Instagram video of a kid play along to “Bullet” in his bedroom. “I felt the blade of Christ enter my chest,” he said. “I was wild. I never felt anything like that in my life.”

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“This song is the ultimate rock defiance to me,” he added. “It’s like ssearing an imprint on the universe in pure fucking defiance. It is the best rock’n’roll song ever fucking made.”

“Great fun!,” Corgan wrote on Instagram afterwards. “And fantastic gig by the boys. Just killed it in front of a massive Chicago crowd.”

My Chemical Romance’s 2025 roadwork will conclude Sept. 20 at Atlanta’s Shaky Knees festival. The group will visit South America, Asia and the United Kingdom next year, beginning Jan. 25 in Lima, Peru. Meanwhile, the Pumpkins will visit Asia, the Middle East and India through Oct. 12 in Mumbai.

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