Inside Music with Melinda Newman

Watch: Soundgarden sludges through 'Beyond the Wheel' at April 16 concert

The reunited band plays first gig in 13 years.

By Melinda Newman Friday, Apr 30, 2010 1:08 AM

Chris Cornell and Soundgarden performing last week.

Credit: Soundgarden

As you know, Soundgarden played a “surprise” show, its first together since 1997 in the band’s Seattle hometown, April 16, under the pseudonym Nude Dragons (which, we have to admit, is a pretty good anagram). Now you can see what you missed.

For all the poor souls who couldn’t get into that gig –and to combat the seeming endless bootlegged audio cropping up all over the place— the band just posted footage from that evening of “Beyond the Wheel”--Soundgarden at its grungiest—on Youtube and its website, www.soundgardenworld.com.

And it looks like they haven’t missed a beat. Lead singer Chris Cornell sounds amazing, although, we admit, we have no idea how much doctoring may have been done to the sound, which is almost too clear to be true. Plus, a little more than four minutes in to the six-minute clip, Kim Thayil unleashes a mighty guitar solo that will put a new part in your hair.

Next stop for Soundgarden? Headlining Lollapalooza in early August. But you ever know where Nude Dragons may show up.

Welcome back, boys.