Highlights from the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air during an ABC special premiering Thursday, New Year’s Day, at 8 p.m. ET. Soundgarden was among the inductees, and the band’s three surviving members — guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron — performed during the event, alongside guest vocalists Taylor Momsen and Brandi Carlile in place of the late Chris Cornell.
“We have a nice, strong history with Taylor, we trust her, she’s an amazing performer,” Thayil told ABC Audio on the ceremony’s red carpet. “Brandi’s an incredible performer, she’s on another stratosphere.”
Momsen sang lead vocals on “Rusty Cage,” and then Carlile joined in for “Black Hole Sun.” The set also featured Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, who, along with Carlile, paid tribute to their and Soundgarden’s shared hometown of Seattle.
“[Carlile is] a nice local sister that made good,” Thayil said. “So it’s really part of the vibe for us and the sense of community that we’ve built over the years there.”
Soundgarden’s performance also included one more guest: original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, who joined them onstage for the “Black Hole Sun” rendition.
“For me, it’s amazing,” Yamamoto said. “I’m actually playing a song that I never even worked on, so it’s a tribute, but to make it feel like Soundgarden and it sounds like Soundgarden, that’s the brotherhood that we’re still doing.”
With Yamamoto playing alongside Shepherd, the Rock Hall ceremony marked the debut of a double-bass Soundgarden lineup.
“It’s fun to get to play with Hiro,” Shepherd said. “[I] play the high end on the bass, he gets to do the low end.”
The other 2025 inductees included The White Stripes, Bad Company, Outkast, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper and Chubby Checker.
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