Seattle\u2019s Soundgarden were the first of the grunge giants to sign with a major label, but they were never just grunge.<\/p>\n
They were heavy, cerebral, and gloriously strange\u2014the closest thing to Black Sabbath that main-stage rock had until Ozzy and company reunited for Ozzfest in the late \u201990s<\/p>\n
Jim Carrey inducted Soundgarden into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, marking a full-circle moment: Carrey famously hosted \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d in 1996 only on the condition that Soundgarden serve as musical guests.<\/p>\n
Nearly 30 years later, he shared the stage once again with them\u2014this time joined by The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen, reuniting the pair 25 years after co-starring in \u201cHow the Grinch Stole Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Momsen, who is releasing \u201cA Pretty Reckless Christmas\u201d this week, helped lead a blistering version of \u201cRusty Cage,\u201d while Brandi Carlile joined in for a haunting, soaring rendition \u201cBlack Hole Sun\u201d (a redux of a Gorge performance a few years back).<\/p>\n
Heart\u2019s Nancy Wilson and Alice in Chains\u2019 Jerry Cantrell were also in the mix, a fitting nod since Chris Cornell inducted Heart into the Hall back in 2013.<\/p>\n
The surviving members\u2014Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd, and Matt Cameron\u2014were joined onstage by original bassist and fellow inductee Hiro Yamamoto.<\/p>\n
Seeing them together again was emotional enough, but the news that a final Soundgarden album featuring Cornell\u2019s unreleased vocals is roughly 75% complete made the moment even more powerful.<\/p>\n
Rage Against the Machine\u2019s Tom Morello (a bandmate in Audioslave) said Soundgarden single-handedly redeemed hard rock and called Cornell a \u201cpunk-rock Robert Plant.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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