Watch Billy Corgan’s Intimate Acoustic Cover of Prince’s ‘The Cross’
Billy Corgan and Liz Phair joined the ever-expanding list of musicians paying tribute to Prince onstage. On Friday, Corgan recruited Smashing Pumpkins touring bandmate Sierra Swan for a low-key acoustic cover of the Purple One’s “The Cross,” while Phair performed the iconic “Nothing Compares 2 U” during a New Orleans concert, Spin reports.
Corgan and Swan’s performance found the singers trading vocals on “The Cross,” from 1987’s Sign o’ the Times. The Smashing Pumpkins have a direct connection to Prince: The band’s one-time touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, who died of a heroin overdose in 1996, was the brother of Prince collaborators/twin sisters Wendy and Susannah Melvoin.
Phair led the crowd in a touching sing-along of 1985 ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which Prince originally recorded with side project the Family (featuring Susannah). The track found mainstream success with Sinéad O’Connor’s 1990 cover.
Since Prince’s death last week at age 57, musicians spanning the sonic spectrum – from Bruce Springsteen to LCD Soundsystem to Old Crow Medicine Show – have honored the late legend on-stage. Country-pop trio the Dixie Chicks delivered a cathartic rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U” during a concert in Denmark.