It’s been years since Seattle icons Soundgarden hit the stage together under their own name. But in the wake of the loss of their legendary frontman Chris Cornell, the boys came back together again to honor his legacy at Soundgarden’s long overdue 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Of course, the band played Chris’s crowning achievement as a songwriter – “Black Hole Sun.” Brandi Carlile and Taylor Momsen took the mic for the emotional performance, which had audience members openly weeping, as seen at 3:34.
Brandi absolutely poured her heart out on stage, giving “Black Hole Sun” the emotional depth such a titanic hit calls for. The performance was also especially memorable for fans as it featured all of Soundgarden’s surviving members, including both founding bassist Hiro Yamamoto and longtime bassist Ben Shepherd. The Music Man readers might note that Alice in Chains guitar icon Jerry Cantrell also hit the stage for the event – when you can pull such rock royalty for a performance, you know it’s a big moment.
Soundgarden’s reunion meant a lot to fans, who added comments such as “Thank you for this, and Hiro!!! So happy to see him on this… feeling emotional” and “I bet Chris Cornell was smiling in heaven when they played this song.” Fans did lament that Kim Thayil’s bridge guitar solo was dropped out of the mix due to some kind of mixing or technical error, however, which was unfortunate given how rare Soundgarden reunions are.
Soundgarden dropped not one but two bangers for their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. The group opened the set with their high-tempo rocker “Rusty Cage” with Taylor Momsen on lead vocals. The band was firing on all cylinders here, and their groove was pushed hard by the addition of Pearl Jam shredder Mike McCready. Mike was a natural inclusion for the performance, as a longtime friend of Chris Cornell, as well as his bandmate in the supergroup Temple of the Dog.
Soundgarden were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 8, 2025, by Jim Carrey. The surviving members of the core lineup of the band performed two songs, “Rusty Cage” and “Black Hole Sun.” The performance of “Black Hole Sun” was complemented by an appearance by the band’s founding bassist Hiro Yamamoto. The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that this was the first time Hiro joined the band onstage since his departure all the way back in 1989. Chris Cornell’s 21-year-old daughter Toni Cornell also performed Soundgarden’s “Fell on Black Days” at the induction. She stripped the song back to an acoustic guitar and cello arrangement, in contrast to the hard rock original.