Well, this is one hell of a way to kick September through the bloody door.
Soundgarden are returning to the stage, with The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen stepping up on vocals alongside surviving members Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron.
And because apparently that wasn’t enough Seattle rock royalty for one stage, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready is also set to join the action. 🎸🔥
The special performance will take place during halftime at the Seattle Seahawks’ NFL home opener against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field in Seattle on 9 September 2026.
Soundgarden. Seattle. Lumen Field.
That’s about as Seattle as rain, coffee and owning seventeen flannel shirts. ☕🌧️
🎤 Taylor Momsen Steps Up With Soundgarden
For anyone who’s followed The Pretty Reckless, Momsen’s involvement makes plenty of sense.
She’s spent years establishing herself as one of modern rock’s most distinctive vocalists, and her connection with Soundgarden runs far deeper than simply being a fan of the band.
The Pretty Reckless were supporting Soundgarden on their 2017 tour when Chris Cornell died on 18 May 2017, making Momsen’s relationship with Cornell and the band particularly poignant.
She’s also performed with the surviving members of Soundgarden before.
When the Seattle legends were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2025, Momsen joined them for a thunderous rendition of “Rusty Cage”.
Now she’s stepping onto the stage with them once again.
And let’s be clear here — nobody replaces Chris Cornell.
Nobody.
Cornell possessed one of those voices that simply shouldn’t have been physically possible. The power, range, emotion and sheer bloody force behind it helped define an entire generation of rock music.
This isn’t about replacing him.
It’s about celebrating the songs he helped create and allowing them to roar from a stage once again.
And Momsen understands exactly how much those songs mean.
🎸 Mike McCready Joins the Seattle Rock Reunion
Then there’s Mike McCready.
Because apparently the Seattle rock gods decided this occasion needed even more guitars.
The Pearl Jam guitarist will join Soundgarden for the special performance, bringing together musicians from two bands that helped turn Seattle into the centre of the rock universe during the early 1990s.
Soundgarden and Pearl Jam’s histories are deeply intertwined.
Before Pearl Jam existed, Chris Cornell worked alongside future Pearl Jam members on Temple of the Dog, the legendary project formed as a tribute to late Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood.
That album gave us tracks including “Hunger Strike”, featuring Cornell alongside Eddie Vedder, and remains one of the most important records connected to the Seattle scene.
So McCready standing alongside Soundgarden isn’t some random celebrity guest spot.
There’s history here.
A LOT of history.
🖤 Soundgarden After Chris Cornell
Soundgarden have understandably been extremely selective about performing since Cornell’s death.
Rather than attempting to carry on as though nothing happened, the surviving musicians have largely treated Soundgarden performances as special occasions — celebrations of their music, their friendship and Chris’s enormous legacy.
This upcoming Seattle appearance is reportedly only around the fifth Soundgarden live performance since Cornell’s death in 2017.
That rarity makes this one particularly special.
And having it happen in Seattle?
Perfect.
Soundgarden formed in Seattle in 1984, becoming one of the earliest bands associated with the movement that would eventually explode around the world as grunge.
Before Nirvana’s Nevermind changed everything and before Pearl Jam’s Ten became enormous, Soundgarden were already down in the trenches making gloriously weird, heavy, psychedelic noise.
Their catalogue would eventually give us absolute monsters including:
- 🎵 Black Hole Sun
- 🎵 Spoonman
- 🎵 Fell on Black Days
- 🎵 Outshined
- 🎵 Rusty Cage
- 🎵 Jesus Christ Pose
- 🎵 Burden in My Hand
- 🎵 The Day I Tried to Live
Their 1994 masterpiece Superunknown remains one of the defining rock albums of the decade.
Heavy metal muscle.
Psychedelic weirdness.
Alternative rock attitude.
And Chris Cornell singing like somebody had strapped a jet engine to his lungs.
Absolutely glorious stuff.
🔥 Could There Be More Soundgarden Shows?
Now comes the question every Soundgarden fan is inevitably going to ask.
Is this just another special performance… or could something bigger be brewing?
At the moment, fans probably shouldn’t start booking hotels for an imaginary Soundgarden world tour just yet.
The band’s post-Cornell appearances have generally been carefully chosen tribute performances rather than indications of a permanent touring reunion.
But Taylor Momsen performing with Soundgarden again certainly gives fans something interesting to think about.
She’s already demonstrated that she can approach Cornell’s material with respect while still sounding unmistakably like herself.
And if Soundgarden ever decided to perform more regularly with guest singers, Momsen would inevitably be one of the names fans discuss.
For now, though, Seattle gets the honour.
And what an occasion it’s going to be.
🎧 The Unfinished Chris Cornell Recordings
There’s another major chapter of the Soundgarden story still waiting to be written too.
The surviving members have previously discussed recordings featuring vocals completed by Chris Cornell before his death.
Those recordings have become one of the most anticipated unfinished projects in modern rock.
For years, various complications prevented the material from being completed and released, but progress has reportedly been made on bringing those final Soundgarden recordings together.
If they eventually arrive, they’ll represent something incredibly precious:
new Soundgarden music featuring Chris Cornell.
That won’t just be another album release.
It’ll be musical history.
🤘 The Riff Report Verdict
Seeing the name Soundgarden appearing on a live bill still hits differently.
There will always be an enormous Chris Cornell-shaped space at the centre of this band. That’s unavoidable, and it’s exactly why performances like this need to be handled with care.
But Soundgarden’s music deserves to live.
Those riffs deserve amplifiers.
Those songs deserve crowds.
And Kim Thayil’s guitar deserves to continue sounding like somebody dropped an industrial generator down a staircase.
With Taylor Momsen handling vocals, Mike McCready joining the surviving members and the whole thing happening right in the band’s hometown of Seattle, this could be one seriously emotional celebration of one of rock’s greatest bands.
Soundgarden returning to a Seattle stage?
That’s proper rock history happening in real time, mun. 🖤🎸
And somewhere during that halftime show, when the opening riff kicks in and thousands of people collectively lose their minds, you can guarantee one name will be on everyone’s mind.
Chris Cornell. Forever. 🖤
🎸 The Riff Report
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Zero Apologies.
Rock journalism with boots on the barrier. 🤘
