Soundgarden were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday in a star-studded ceremony that featured performances from the band’s surviving members, a tribute by the daughter of late frontman Chris Cornell, and a special appearance by actor Jim Carrey.
Carrey, who had once hosted Saturday Night Live in 1996 with Soundgarden as the musical guest, took on the honour of inducting the band. The actor-comedian humorously addressed the crowd: “Spank you kindly, spank you all. You might ask why Soundgarden — the heaviest of rock & roll royalty — would want Jim Carrey to induct them into the Hall of Fame. Is there some cosmic connection between us, or was the ‘Spoonman’ unavailable?”
Recalling his time hosting SNL, Carrey revealed he personally requested Soundgarden as the musical guest and was gifted Chris Cornell’s prized Fender Telecaster after the show. “When the Seattle music scene exploded, it resurrected rock & roll for me,” Carrey said. “When I first heard Soundgarden, I wasn’t just excited. I wanted to put on a flannel shirt and run into the streets screaming, ‘My mother smoked during pregnancy!’”
Following Carrey’s speech, Cornell’s daughter, Lily, took the stage to honour her late father. “I’m just really, really happy that he got to make music with his friends,” Lily said. “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’ve heard that music. That’s what I’ll be holding in my heart tonight.”
In what was described as a “Seattle-centric” performance, drummer Matt Cameron had promised a special tribute to the Seattle music scene. Friends and fellow musicians including Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, Brandi Carlile (who had previously worked with the surviving members of Soundgarden on a Record Store Day single), and Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless (who opened for Soundgarden on their final tour before Cornell’s tragic death in 2017) joined the band on stage. Together, they rocked out to Rusty Cage and Black Hole Sun.
Each of the surviving members of Soundgarden — guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron, and bassist Ben Shepherd, along with Hiro Yamomoto, who left the group in 1989 — took turns giving speeches. Yamomoto, visibly emotional, said, “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!”
After the all-star Seattle performance, Cornell’s daughter Toni, along with Heart’s Nancy Wilson, performed an acoustic version of Fell on Black Days.
Toni, clearly moved by the honour, said backstage, “It’s so surreal, and I’m so honoured that I get to be here to do this for my dad. I just wish he were here to see this tremendous recognition for himself. I know how proud he would have been. But he’s the reason why I do music. So being here and being able to share my voice because of him, is amazing.”
Toni explained that her rendition of the song was inspired by her father’s Songbook tour, where he would perform stripped-down versions of his iconic Soundgarden tracks. “I was always really touched by just him and his voice, his guitar, and eventually with a cellist… Everyone can relate to that song on so many levels. Like, I Fell on Black Days — we’ve all been there. So I personally related to that, and I really wanted to channel how my dad would have performed that song on his own.”
Nancy Wilson also reflected on the current state of rock music, telling reporters, “Rock and roll is almost a lost art. Hard rock bands… the bands we grew up with are not that many roaming the planet anymore, so I’m really happy to see the new ones coming up and still honouring those that left the big dinosaur footprint behind us.”
Drummer Matt Cameron, speaking before the ceremony, shared his thoughts on how Chris would have reacted to the recognition. “I think Chris would have really enjoyed this moment of recognition because he was always moving as an artist. He was always seeking that next phase of his writing career, performing career. … Maybe down the line, he’ll be recognised as a solo artist or for Temple of the Dog or something like that because his contribution to music has been absolutely massive.”
The night was a fitting tribute to one of rock’s most iconic and influential bands, with Soundgarden’s legacy further cemented in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.