Pearl Jam + MC50 Reunite Soundgarden Pair Onstage for ‘Kick Out the Jams’ at Rock Werchter
It was teased for quite some time that Pearl Jam and Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron would join the MC50 collective that have been touring to support the 50th anniversary of the Wayne Kramer-led band MC5. Soundgarden's Kim Thayil was already part of the MC50 lineup, so Cameron's addition would be the first time the pair had performed together since the death of Chris Cornell. While Cameron's debut with MC50 took place last month, fans attending the Rock Werchter festival in Belgium got a surprise taste of that onstage pairing Saturday night (July 7) as well.
The performance actually came during Pearl Jam's set at the festival, with Kramer, Thayil and singer Marcus Durant joining Eddie Vedder, Cameron and the full Pearl Jam lineup onstage for a crowded yet raucous performance of "Kick Out the Jams," and yes, they "done kicked 'em out," as you can see in the fan-filmed footage above.
Cameron had rehearsed with the band earlier this year ahead of his planned guest appearance and you can view rehearsal footage, including a moment where Thayil and Cameron are both seen together, in the Instagram post below.
The special guest turn came fairly early in Pearl Jam's performance, turning up as the seventh song in the set between "Corduroy" and "Habit." In all, Pearl Jam played 24 tracks during the concert, concluding with an encore of "Alive" and a cover of The Who's "Baba O'Riley."
The MC50 touring lineup, which also includes bassist dUg Pinnick and percussionist Brendan Canty, has already hit a number of festivals in Europe this summer and will take their show stateside starting Sept. 5 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The North American run continues through late October, before MC50 finishes out their touring year with one more leg of European dates. See all of their scheduled stops here.
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