Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd, and Matt Cameron have reunited onstage in Seattle to play a short set of Soundgarden songs.
Billed as Nudedragons – a name Soundgarden reunited under in 2010 (and an anagram of Soundgarden) – the show at the 1100-capacity Showbox in Seattle, WA, was the trio's first together since joining Brandi Carlisle onstage for versions of Black Hole Sun and Searching With My Good Eye Closed in Gorge, WA, in 2021.
The three men were joined by Shaina Shepherd, a Seattle-based singer, songwriter, music educator and community organizer, who dedicated the set to the man whose shoes she was filling, the late Chris Cornell.
The set comprised of six songs: Hunted Down, Outshined, Flower, Beyond The Wheel and Kickstand – during which Shepherd was joined on vocals by Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan – before a closing cover of the MC5's classic Kick Out The Jams.
The band's set came at the end of a fundraiser for SMooCH, which was created to help raise funds for uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s and is backed by non-commercial Seattle radio station KEXP and Sub Pop Records. The organisation was founded by musicians Pete and Brandy Nordstrom in 2012 after their infant son received life-saving treatment from Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Other artists playing on the night included Sebadoh and Built Spill's Doug Martsch, while previous events have included performances by Modest Mouse, Iron And Wine, Jason Isbell, J. Mascis, the Afghan Whigs and Redd Kross.
