The surviving members of Soundgarden—Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd—reunited on stage Saturday night (November 8) for a powerful, multi-song tribute to their late frontman Chris Cornell as the band was officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The emotional performance at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles saw the band, along with original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, team with a rotating cast of all-star vocalists. The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen and Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready joined the band for a blistering rendition of “Rusty Cage.”
Following that, Brandi Carlile and Alice in Chains‘ Jerry Cantrell took the stage to deliver a haunting version of “Black Hole Sun.” The musical tribute concluded with a stunning acoustic performance of “Fell On Black Days,” led by Chris Cornell‘s daughter, Toni Cornell, and Heart‘s Nancy Wilson.
The band was inducted by actor Jim Carrey, who delivered a speech that was both humorous and deeply personal, explaining his connection to the band and the Seattle scene.
“You might ask why would Soundgarden — the heaviest of rock and roll royalty — want Jim Carrey to induct them into the Hall Of Fame? Is there some deep, cosmic connection between them, or was the ‘Spoonman’ not available?” Carrey joked.
He then explained how the band reignited his love for music. “When the Seattle music scene exploded, it resurrected rock and roll for me,” Carrey said. “When I heard Soundgarden for the first time… I wanted to put a flannel shirt on and run into the streets screaming, ‘My mother smoked during pregnancy!’”
Carrey also recalled hosting “Saturday Night Live” in 1996 and insisting Soundgarden be the musical guest, a moment he called an “audio baptism.” “After the show, they handed me what is to this day one of my most prized possessions, the Fender Telecaster Chris played on the show, signed by the whole band,” he shared.
Accepting the honor, Chris Cornell‘s daughter, Lily Cornell Silver, spoke on behalf of the family. “I am just really, really happy that he got to make music with his friends. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” she said. “I know how much purpose that gave him… That’s what I’ll be holding in my heart tonight.”
The surviving members used their speeches to pay tribute to their absent frontman. “Chris Cornell, we are so missing you tonight on this stage,” said Yamamoto. “To everyone else out there — especially all you brown kids — let’s rock!”
Kim Thayil closed with a poignant memory of Cornell‘s creative process: “If one of us ever hesitated in sharing an idea, Chris would be the first to say, ‘Let’s just try it out and see.’ I miss him. I love him, and I love all my [Soundgarden] brothers.”
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