The cover coincided with Gaga’s debut performance of “Hey Girl,” their Joanne collab, in Barcelona
Florence and the Machine had the perfect Halloween-themed performance for their visit to SiriusXM. Backed by a stunning harp, Florence Welch delivered a mashup of 2015’s “Which Witch” and Lady Gaga‘s Mayhem favorite “Abracadabra.”
Welch opened with her heresy-referencing How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful song, followed by an evocative fiddle-flute transition into the Gaga track. The band concluded the performance by returning to “Which Witch.”
The timing of the cover couldn’t have been more kismet. During her Mayhem Ball Tour stop in Barcelona Wednesday night, Lady Gaga snuck in “Hey Girl,” her duet with Welch from 2016’s Joanne. It was Gaga’s first time performing the song live.
In an interview last month, Welch spoke about her love for Gaga’s early music. “In 2009, I was only listening to Lady Gaga, that was it,” she told Triple J. “Whether I would listen to this [album, Everybody Scream], I don’t know.”
Back in 2016, Gaga also shared her appreciation for Welch after their time working together. “Florence and I, when we were working together, we laughed, we cried, we hugged each other,” Gaga said to Elvis Duran, adding in a later Heat Radio interview: “Her voice is sensational. She’s one of the greatest singers in the world.”
Welch’s SiriusXM visit comes as she continues to promote Florence and the Machine’s album, Everybody Scream, which drops Friday. The record is the followup to 2022’s Dance Fever.
