Soundgarden Makes Rare Return With Taylor Momsen & Mike McCready At NFL Halftime Show

Soundgarden delivered a rare performance Wednesday night in their hometown of Seattle as part of the halftime festivities at the Seattle Seahawks’ NFL season opener. The hometown Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 13-10 in the first game of the 2026 NFL season.

Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist and drummer Matt Cameron were joined at Lumen Field by The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready.

The Seattle-heavy lineup tore through a compact medley pairing Soundgarden classics “Outshined” and “Spoonman.” Momsen handled lead vocals, while McCready augmented Thayil on guitar. Soundgarden’s set did not air on television as part of NBC’s broadcast of the game.

Wednesday marked Soundgarden’s first public performance since their Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction in November 2025. Momsen and McCready were also among the guests who joined the band at the induction ceremony, with Momsen singing “Rusty Cage” and sharing vocals with Brandi Carlile on “Black Hole Sun.”

The halftime set also saw Soundgarden return to “Spoonman” for the first time since frontman Chris Cornell died in 2017. The band’s final concert with Cornell was held at Detroit’s Fox Theatre on May 17, 2017.

McCready had double duty at the Seahawks’ home opener. The Seattle native performed an instrumental rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before kickoff while appearing on behalf of the Washington Innocence Project. McCready has previously played Jimi Hendrix-inspired versions of the national anthem at Seahawks and Mariners games.

“It’s incredibly special, it’s incredibly poignant,” McCready told the Seahawks ahead of the game regarding the opportunity to perform with Soundgarden. “It’s intense, you want to do it right. It’s Seattle, we want to play as well as we can for Seattle, because we’re from here, this is our home.”

The performance comes as Soundgarden continues work on a final album featuring recordings made with Cornell. Cameron revealed last year that the band was more than halfway finished with the eight-song project, which Soundgarden began recording with Cornell in 2015. Read more about the pending final Soundgarden album.

The Seattle Seahawks triumphed over the New England Patriots 13 – 10. Last night’s game was the first of the NFL season.

Watch Soundgarden perform “Outshined” and “Spoonman” with Taylor Momsen and Mike McCready below:

Watch McCready perform the national anthem before the game: