On Saturday night (December 14), the surviving members of Soundgarden—guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron, and bassist Ben Shepherd reunited for a surprise set at the SMooCH benefit concert in Seattle.
They were also joined by singer Shaina Shepherd and Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, who later jumped in on a few tracks.
The performance came together on a whim just 10 days before the show. Thayil, Cameron, and Shepherd were going by the name Nudedragons—an anagram of Soundgarden. The concert raised money for Seattle Children’s Hospital, with McKagan, Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch, and Sebadoh (playing their first show in five years) featuring on the bill as well.
The setlist took fans back to Soundgarden’s early days. The band played Flower and Beyond the Wheel from Ultramega OK, plus Hunted Down from Screaming Life and Outshined from Badmotorfinger. Kickstand from Superunknown made an appearance too, with McKagan jumping in on vocals. The night wrapped up with a high-energy cover of MC5’s Kick Out the Jams, with McKagan still onstage, adding his signature swagger.
It’s been a while since the three surviving members performed together. Their last public appearance was in 2021, when they joined Brandi Carlile at the Gorge for a surprise set. They played Black Hole Sun and Searching With My Good Eye Closed that night.
Chris Cornell’s death in 2017 left a permanent gap in Soundgarden’s legacy, but Thayil, Cameron, and Shepherd have continued to honour it. The trio also performed together at a 2019 tribute show for Cornell. This recent benefit felt different though—more immediate and raw than before.
Fan footage from the night is already popping up online, and donations to Seattle Children’s Hospital are still open. It wasn’t just a reunion though; it was actually a reminder of what Soundgarden was, still is and will always be. A bloody great band.
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