Soundgarden returned to a Seattle stage for a special halftime performance Wednesday night. Unfortunately for fans watching at home, NBC apparently decided they didn't need to see it.
Videos by FanBuzz
The legendary Seattle rock band performed during halftime of the Seahawks' 13-10 season-opening victory over the New England Patriots, with Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless handling vocals and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready joining the group.
Soundgarden played "Outshined" and "Spoonman," with the latter reportedly performed by the band for the first time since frontman Chris Cornell died in 2017.
But NBC did not show the performance during its broadcast.
That decision prompted plenty of frustration from Soundgarden fans on social media, particularly since the performance had been promoted ahead of the game. Some viewers said they could actually see portions of the show taking place in the background while the broadcast continued with its normal halftime coverage.
There is a less sinister explanation, of course. Networks generally don't televise regular-season NFL halftime performances, with major exceptions such as Thanksgiving and postseason games. So this wasn't necessarily NBC snubbing Soundgarden specifically.
Still, given the circumstances, fans understandably wanted this one.
Soundgarden is one of the defining bands of Seattle's grunge era, and the Seahawks were opening their season at home as defending Super Bowl champions. McCready also performed the national anthem before kickoff.
For Seattle rock fans, it was quite a night. For everyone watching NBC, well, apparently you had to be there.
