Soundgarden Reunites!!

News of a Soundgarden reunion show had been swirling around the Seattle scene for weeks.  Everyone knew it was coming, but it was a matter of when, where and would I be in the right place and right time to get a golden ticket?  After much scrambling, phone calls, texts, emails, secret handshakes, websites, passwords and methodical refreshing my browser at 11 a.m. on Friday, I ended up with that ultra mega golden ticket to Nudedragons! (secret show=secret name! clever, eh?)

Soundgarden has meant so much to me over the years…since 1989 to be exact.  I have seen them perform many times. Most memorable was when they opened for Jane’s Addiction, at the Seattle music festival Bumbershoot, and at the Annex Theater in front of 100 people.

Guitarist Kim Thayil and The Big Unit, Randy Johnson used to pal around when Randy pitched for the Seattle Mariners in the mid 90’s.  They showed up at the Crocodile Café one night when my band Shug was onstage.  That was a total freak out moment for my bass player and I being huge fans of the team and the band. Randy was in Seattle last week as he was invited to throw out the first pitch at the Mariner’s opening home game. Must have been a walk down memory lane for him too as he stopped by Soundgarden’s rehearsal studio to listen to them tune up for their secret show.

The band has not performed live since 1997.  Everyone wondered, would they sound the same? Would Cornell be able to hit the high notes? Could they actually pull it off?

They answer is hell yeah to all of those questions and more.

They started the show with Spoon Man, which I was actually happy about. I felt like starting the show with one of their “hits” was fair, because once they launched in to Gun, Rusty Cage and Beyond the Wheel I actually LOST MY FUCKING MIND.  I’m still getting goose bumps thinking about Chris wailing like I remember him doing so back in the day.  They played Flower, Ugly Truth and an amazing version of Fell on Black Days.  Hunted Down and Nothing to Say were rocked back to back in honor of those songs being re-released as a 7’ on orange vinyl on “Record Store Day” which was April 17th.

They closed with an interesting version of Waiting for the Sun by the Doors.  After the song, Ben Shepherd tossed his bass up and over his head and it landed magically in front of his bass cabinet causing it to emit an ominous, growling, deep feedback that reverberated through the club.  The crowd chanted, wanting a second encore and waited around long after the lights were turned on, but sadly, the show was over.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been drenched in sweat and spent from rocking out so hard at a show.  Just like I remember it…I’m still grinning and my ears are still ringing.