Seattle legends SOUNDGARDEN officially entered the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on Saturday night (November 8) during a powerful and emotional ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California.
The band was inducted by actor and comedian Jim Carrey, who kicked off his speech with his trademark humor: “Spank you kindly, spank you all. 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 went on to share how the Seattle grunge explosion reignited his passion for rock music: “When the Seattle music scene exploded, it resurrected rock and roll for me. When I heard SOUNDGARDEN for the first time, I wasn’t just excited. I wanted to put a flannel shirt on and run into the streets screaming, ‘My mother smoked during pregnancy!’”
Recalling his first meeting with the band, Carrey described hosting Saturday Night Live in 1996 and insisting that SOUNDGARDEN be the musical guest: “By then, the lineup was Chris [Cornell], Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd. They launched into the dark, epic beauty of ‘Pretty Noose’. I stood right in front of them, letting the waves of electricity wash over me, like an audio baptism. They pushed me under and when I came up I was free. 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.”
Following Carrey’s induction, Lily Cornell Silver, daughter of the late frontman Chris Cornell, spoke about her father’s enduring spirit and the joy he found in music: “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. I know how much purpose that gave him, and how much it’s meant to people who have heard that music. That’s what I’ll be holding in my heart tonight.”
The night’s performances became a celebration of SOUNDGARDEN’s legacy. Surviving members Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil, and Ben Shepherd, along with original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, were joined by PEARL JAM guitarist Mike McCready and THE PRETTY RECKLESS vocalist Taylor Momsen for a blistering rendition of “Rusty Cage.”
Moments later, Brandi Carlile and ALICE IN CHAINS’ Jerry Cantrell took the stage for an emotional performance of “Black Hole Sun,” honoring Cornell’s memory and the band’s impact on a generation of musicians.
To close out the tribute, Cornell’s daughter Toni teamed up with HEART’s Nancy Wilson for a stunning acoustic take on “Fell On Black Days.”
During their acceptance speeches, each surviving member paid tribute to Cornell and reflected on the band’s journey. Yamamoto addressed the audience with heartfelt gratitude: “Chris Cornell, we are so missing you tonight on this stage. We’ve heard so many stories of how the music we created became your own, and that is the greatest recognition of all. To everyone else out there — especially all you brown kids — let’s rock!”
Thayil also shared a touching memory of Cornell’s creative spirit: “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.”
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.