Barry Williams stunned fans at a Lollapalooza pre-show, performing one of the songs he made famous on The Brady Bunch more than 50 years ago.
The actor, 71, was a surprise guest at the Smashing Pumpkins’ July 29 show in Chicago, where he performed “Sunshine Day,” the “hit” he first sang with his Brady co-stars in 1973.
In a clip shared to Instagram, Williams, who played rock star wannabe Greg Brady on the classic TV sitcom, was seen performing the song with the ‘90s alt rockers at the Riviera as the crowd sang along and backup dancers showed off their ‘70s-style moves onstage.
“It’s a sunshine day with the @smashingpumpkins at the @therivierachicago,” Williams captioned the post.
The comment section lit up with fans praising the return of Johnny Bravo, Williams’ alter ego on The Brady Bunch.
“Johnny Bravo has hit the big time!!!” one fan wrote.
“Sunshine day…🌸💮..groovy times,” another added.
“Best thing on the internet today!” a third chimed in.
Others wondered if the younger fans in the crowd understood what was going on when Williams took the stage.
“I wonder how many younger folks were baffled by what’s going on?🤔🤣 Like, who’s this dude? Why is he singing this crazy song? “ one commenter wrote.
“I was there and they started playing the music. My buddy and I started bopping around and he inadvertently started singing this song. We laughed and then a second later the lyrics started. We almost fell over, we were laughing so hard and then I looked at the stage and said, ‘Is that f—ng Barry Williams?! IT IS!’ It was awesome!”
Williams debuted “Sunshine Day” in the 1973 Brady Bunch episode titled “Amateur Nite” alongside co-stars Maureen McCormick, Christopher Knight, Eve Plumb, Mike Lookinland and Susan Olsen.
In the episode, the Brady kids famously competed on a TV talent show to raise money to buy their parents (Robert Reed, Florence Henderson) a silver platter for their anniversary. Unfortunately, they lost out to a group of singing dogs, but Williams’ Lollapalooza cameo was definitely a win for fans decades later.
Williams’ surprise musical gig may have been cooked up after he sat down with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan for The Magnificent Otherspodcast in May. During the chat, the two stars talked about being recognized in public, with Williams revealing fans often call him Greg.
“I’m the ‘rat in the cage’ guy. That’s what I get in airports,” Corgan told The Brady Bunch star, referencing a line from the Smashing Pumpkins classic, “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.”
Related: ‘Brady Bunch’ Star Says It Took 15 Years to Make Peace With Fame After Hit ’70s Sitcom
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