Mike McCready is getting a double dose of the spotlight when the Seahawks and Patriots open the 2026 season at Lumen Field.
Before kickoff, the Pearl Jam guitarist will handle the national anthem. Then at halftime, he’ll be back on the field performing with Soundgarden.
McCready’s connection to Seattle runs deep. He was one of Pearl Jam’s founding members when the band formed in 1990, alongside bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard, before Eddie Vedder and drummer Dave Krusen were added. Pearl Jam has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.
“It’s way scary in a way, because I want to do it right and I don’t want to mess it up, so that’s going through my head every time,” McCready said of performing the anthem via the Seahawks. “I’ve done it a bunch of times, I just want to do it how I do it, and hopefully it means something and I do it right, so there’s pressure there.”
The halftime set gives McCready another chance to lean into the city’s grunge roots. Soundgarden is one of Seattle’s signature bands and a major piece of the 1990s music scene. The group’s drummer, Matt Cameron, later became Pearl Jam’s drummer after Jack Irons.
There’s also a Temple of the Dog connection in the mix. Soundgarden’s Chris Connell founded the band in 1990, and McCready and Cameron were part of that project as well.
McCready, who was born in Pensacola, Fla., moved to Seattle as a child. Beyond Pearl Jam, he has played with Flight to Mars, Temple of the Dog, Mad Season and The Rockfords. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Pearl Jam’s founding members in 2017.
He remains with Pearl Jam, though the band has been on hiatus since Cameron announced he was leaving in July of last year, two months after the Dark Matter Tour ended. McCready said in April 2026 that he’s ready to get moving again.
“I think I’m kind of done with the break,” McCready said via American Songwriter in April 2026. “I would love to get out and play again, you know.
… I’m ready to go out again whenever, you know, or start working on another record. We’ve just got to find a new drummer, you know?
We don’t have one.”
As for the halftime performance, details are limited, but Soundgarden is expected to lean on some of its best-known songs, including “Black Hole Sun,” “Rusty Cage,” “Fell on Black Days” and “Outshined.”
“I’m kind of like Soundgarden’s biggest fan,” McCready said via Seattle.
“It’s incredibly special, it’s incredibly poignant. It’s intense, you want to do it right,” McCready continued.
“It’s Seattle, we want to play as well as we can for Seattle, because we’re from here, this is our home. It’s a big deal, and that’s an exciting pressure to be part of.
And I know how good it’s going to sound because of our over-rehearsing. Hopefully people will love it, we’re looking forward to it.
I can’t wait. I’ll play with those guys anywhere on the planet.”
The Patriots-Seahawks game is set for an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff, and the Soundgarden performance will come during halftime. A normal NFL halftime lasts 13 minutes, though this one could run a little longer with the stage setup and teardown.
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