Soundgarden’s Emotional Rock Hall Performance Brings Surprise

Grunge giants Soundgarden took center stage at the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, performing several of their classic hits with a collection of special guest stars. There was even a special surprise with a performance Chris Cornell’s daughter Toni and a short speech from his other daughter Lillian.

After a moving introduction from actor Jim Carrey — followed by a poignant tribute by Chris Cornell’s eldest daughter, Lily — Soundgarden and their guests proceeded to put on a powerful display of rock fury.

Taylor Momsen, frontwoman of The Pretty Reckless, provided vocals for the emphatic opening song “Rusty Cage.” The singer has performed with Soundgarden’s surviving members in the past, most memorably appearing with them at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in 2022.

Brandi Carlile – who performed at the 2019 Cornell tribute concert — took over for the next song, delivering an emotional rendition of the 1994 classic “Black Hole Sun.”

A pair of fellow grunge veterans joined Soundgarden throughout the performance: Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and Alice in Chains rocker Jerry Cantrell.

With Soundgarden now in the Hall, Alice in Chains remains the final act on grunge’s Mt. Rushmore that has yet to be inducted (Nirvana and Pearl Jam were inducted in 2014 and 2017, respectively).

Nancy Wilson and Toni Cornell Deliver Poignant ‘Fell on Black Days’

After the surviving members of Soundgarden each gave an acceptance speech, Carrey returned to introduce Cornell’s younger daughter, Toni. Accompanied by Heart’s Nancy Wilson on acoustic guitar, the 21-year-old singer delivered a heart-wrenching rendition of the band’s 1994 single “Fell on Black Days.”

Toni has previously recorded material written by her father. She also released a cover of Prince‘s “Nothing Compares 2 U” (made famous by Sinead O’Connor) in 2018.

Soundgarden Bring Seattle to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Performance

With Cantrell, McCready, Wilson and Carlile (a Seattle native) taking part in the performance, Soundgarden’s hometown was well represented. Prior to the Hall ceremony, Thayil spoke about the importance of making Seattle a central part of Soundgarden’s night.

“To have our peers, friends and creative collaborators from [Seattle] share that with us is very important,” Thayil said. “It’s very important because it’s part of our identity. We’re not simply ‘rock guys’ in this band Soundgarden. We’re rock guys in this band Soundgarden that helped establish the Seattle scene and the sound. The geography is very important to our identity. It’s where we are, it’s where we came from. It’s who we are.”

While the absence of Cornell was palpable during the evening, Soundgarden were happy to celebrate their late frontman. The group has also maintained that a final album made up of unreleased material recorded with Cornell is forthcoming.