Soundgarden officially entered the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame yesterday, November 08th. As part of this year’s annual induction ceremony, which was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, CA. Core members of the multi-platinum grunge legends’ surviving members were in attendance and welcomed into the Rock Hall.
Actor/comedian Jim Carrey and Lilly Cornell Silver, daughter of late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, were chosen to induct the band. Carrey‘s speech read as follows [transcribed by theprp.com]:
“…When the biggest rock stars in the world get together and gather to celebrate each other and let loose, shit goes wild. Don’t forget to schedule your glutathione drips tonight. I have the honor of inducting Soundgarden into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You may ask, why? Oh, 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?
Well, the truth is, I grew up with the awe-inspiring bands of the hard rock era. Every day I spent hours in front of my floodlight in the corner of a basement playing power chords on a goalie stick. When the Seattle music scene exploded. It resurrected rock and roll for me. Bands like Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam and, of course, Nirvana, were unfettered, brutally honest and reaching for something profound.
Soundgarden was not only the first band in Seattle movement to sign to a major record label, they sowed the seeds of its inception. Guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Hiro Yamamoto and singer/drummer Chris Cornell, were experimenting with a sound that no one had heard before. A fusion of hard rock, punk, metal, psychedelia that shaped intricate and astounding sonic landscapes. That coupled with Chris‘ insane vocal range, made your heart pound with excitement one minute and break with sadness the next.
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 street screaming, ‘My mother smoked during pregnancy.’ They ascended from gritty bars in Seattle to worldwide superstardom without fear or compromise. They trusted themselves completely and trusted that their fans would come along for the ride, wherever it led. They broke big with their fourth studio album, ‘Superunknown‘, featuring incredible songs like ‘Spoonman‘, ‘Fell On Black Days‘ and their magnum opus, ‘Black Hole Sun‘.
That track was the ultimate example of Chris Cornell‘s prolific songwriting. It felt like he had given us an all access pass to some monumental, apocalyptic dream he was having. He had a deeply authentic presence. When you looked into his eyes, it was like eternity was staring back. I used to talk to him like this, [covering eyes periodically] ‘Hi, Chris, how you doing? Me? Great. Never better. Please. Look away. Probe no further.’
I met the band in 1996 when I was hosting ‘Saturday Night Live‘ for the very first time, and I insisted on Soundgarden as the musical guest. By then, the lineup was Chris, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron on drums and Ben Shepherd on bass. During rehearsal, 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. We got a picture of that somewhere? Oh, it’s behind me. Damn! It snuck up. Pay no attention to the burn marks on the pick guard. [Mimicking his ‘In Living Color‘ character ‘Fire Marshall Bill’,] ‘Someone backstage was playing with matches, ha ha ha ha.’ Later that night, Chris showed up at my hotel room with an acoustic guitar and a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and we wrote some songs.
Okay, I may have dreamt that part, but I’ll never forget that night. And I did get to hang with Chris a few times. He was always really sincere, very down to earth, thoughtful and funny. When the band split in ’97 Chris went on to make amazing music on his own and with Audioslave, yeah. Kim, Matt and Ben continued to blaze their own musical paths. But Soundgarden wasn’t done. They reformed in 2010 and gave us a whole second act of new music and live shows that sounded just as vital as ever. Sadly, on a shocking night in 2017 Chris left us.
We lost a very special being, a monumental musical artist and an inspired innovator. But for all time, his voice will continue to light up the ether like a tesla coil. Tonight, we make sure that Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, Hiro Yamamoto, Matt Cameron and Ben Sheppard go down in history as one of the most majestic, powerful and influential bands ever to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, long live Chris Cornell and Long live Soundgarden.”
Cornell‘s eldest daughter Lily later appeared and gave a brief speech about her beloved father, while thanking the band and paying tribute to their legacy. A montage charting Soundgarden‘s career and accolades with interviews from the band themselves, as well as commentary from Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, ex-Audioslave), Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains), Geddy Lee (Rush) and Lzzy Hale (Halestorm) was then shown, followed by a brief musical tribute.
When it came to that musical portion of the band’s introduction, both Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless and Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready sat in alongside Soundgarden for the opening performance of “Rusty Cage“. The band’s biggest hit, 1994’s “Black Hole Sun” was also played, with Jerry Cantrell of fellow grunge royalty Alice In Chains, alternative country star Brandi Carlile, and the band’s original bassist Hiro Yamamoto taking part, along with Momsen. The entire ceremony was live broadcast over Disney+ and is set to arrive on Hulu today, November 09th. The ceremony will air in edited form on ABC on January 01st, 2026.
Notably, the aforementioned guest appearances somewhat mirrored ‘I Am The Highway: A Tribute To Chris Cornell‘ show Soundgarden staged back in 2019 for the late Cornell, with Momsen also guesting on “Rusty Cage” and Carlile fronting “Black Hole Sun” at that event.
This year’s fellow inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame included The White Stripes, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Bad Company, Joe Cocker and more.
Update: November 10th, 2025 09:30am:
Fan-filmed footage of Chris Cornell‘s daughter Toni covering Soundgarden‘s “Fell On Black Days” with Heart‘s Nancy Wilson during the induction has also now been shared online below:
