When the Seattle Seahawks hosted the New England Patriots for their season opener at Lumen Field, television viewers tuned into NBC’s live broadcast expecting a significant moment for Pacific Northwest music royalty. Surviving Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd were scheduled to headline the NFL Kickoff Halftime Show, joined by The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen on lead vocals and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready. However, home viewers were instead presented with standard studio commentary, commercial breaks, and gameplay analysis, completely bypassing the live performance inside the stadium.
The broadcast omission generated immediate dissatisfaction among fans who turned to social media in search of fan-recorded footage. In response, Soundgarden bypassed traditional broadcast distribution entirely by releasing official, multi-camera pro-shot footage of the complete performance directly through their official online channels.
The halftime set marked the band’s first public appearance following their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, offering a notable collaboration between core members of Seattle’s historical rock movement. The lineup featured Thayil, Cameron, and Shepherd anchored by Momsen, who previously collaborated with the band at their Hall of Fame ceremony, and McCready, who joined on secondary guitar following his own pre-game performance of the national anthem. The rhythm section was further augmented by the Seahawks’ official drumline, Blue Thunder.
The short high-energy set consisted of two prominent tracks from the group’s catalog: “Outshined,” from their 1991 album Badmotorfinger, followed by the 1994 Superunknown single “Spoonman.” The performance of “Spoonman” was particularly significant, as it featured the Seahawks’ drumline on stage and marked the first public live rendition of the track by surviving members since 2017.
While network broadcasts routinely prioritize studio coverage during regular-season halftime segments, Soundgarden’s direct-to-fan video release ensured the performance was preserved and accessible in its intended form.
