The 2019 tribute concert to late Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell was “uncomfortable” for remaining Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd. Thayil told Kerrang! that while they're glad they did the tribute at the I Am the Highway concert in Los Angeles, “it was sort of a clusterf**k.”
He said, “It was picking at an open wound, emotionally, and nobody was that thrilled to do it. We were thrilled to play the songs for our audience, and to play with each other onstage. The takeaway was the band being together with our family, crew and friends. To see that family together again was love. Everyone was happy and teary-eyed. It was the Soundgarden family together, doing what Soundgarden does and honoring and missing our beloved, departed member. That was important.”
He added, “The rest of it – the celebrity nature, promotion and focus – was bullsh**. And we knew it was bullsh** going into it. We did it for each other, to support Chris’ legacy. There was something awkward and un-intimate about it. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around it, but I’m glad we did it for our friends and family.”
Cornell committed suicide at the age of 52 in 2017 in a Detroit hotel room.