Watch Smashing Pumpkins Cover "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor Live in New Jersey

Introducing Endless Mode: A New Games & Anime Site from Paste

Read our announcement | See the 10 Best Games of 2025 (So Far)

The Smashing Pumpkins treated their Camden, NJ audience to an epic live cover during their set last week while on tour with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. Billy Corgan and his bandmates took a very Smashing Pumpkins spin on the 1970 folk-rock classic, “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor, adding a two-minute instrumental intro with electric guitar shreds and dazzling synths.

Corgan’s signature tenor voice and fervent guitar playing made the famous acoustic JT track sound like it was an alt-rock song of their own, as heard in the video below.

“We’re the Smashing Pumpkins,” Corgan said to the crowd near the end of the cover, “Won’t you lend us a hand?” He encouraged the crowd to clap along as the Pumpkins closed their rendition of “Fire and Rain” with another epic electric guitar solo.

Smashing Pumpkins released their first album in 18 years last November, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1/LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. and have been touring in support of it. The ‘90s alternative icons will continue to tour the U.S. with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds as they co-headline their summer North American shows until the end of August.

Listen to the revamped cover below, and revisit a 1994 Smashing Pumpkins and 1970 James Taylor performance from the Paste archives further down:

Watch Smashing Pumpkins Cover “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor Live in New Jersey