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Duff McKagan Talks Mad Season Reunion Concert

07/27/2015
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(Radio.com) On January 30 of this year, fans of the '90s Seattle music scene had their minds blown by a (probably) one-off event that paid tribute to the city's supergroups and fallen icons, and now it's going to be released on CD, vinyl and as a download.

The centerpiece of the show, which took place at Seattle's Benaroya Hall, was an ad hoc reunion by the supergroup Mad Season's surviving members, guitarist Mike McCready (also of Pearl Jam) and drummer Barrett Martin (formerly of Screaming Trees, currently of Walking Papers). Accompanied by the Seattle Symphony, and joined by singer Chris Cornell (of Soundgarden) filling in the for the late Layne Staley (of Alice In Chains) and bassist Duff McKagan (formerly of Guns N Roses, currently of Walking Papers) filling in for the late John Baker Saunders, they performed a few songs from Mad Season's lone album, the 1995 classic Above.

The show also saw McCready performing a classical original, "Walking the Horizon," accompanied by Pearl Jam/Soundgarden/Temple of the Dog drummer Matt Cameron and the Seattle Symphony. Finally, there was a Temple of the Dog reunion when Cornell and McCready were joined by Cameron and Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, for two songs from the legendary band's sole album, their 1991 self-titled effort.

We recently spoke to McKagan about the show, as he was promoting his latest book, How to Be a Man. While some may have been surprised by the choice of the ex-Guns N Roses member to fill in for Mad Season, McKagan is a proud Seattlite who has jammed with McCready in the past, and is a former member of legendary Seattle band the Fastbacks. And, as mentioned, he is bandmates with Mad Season's Barrett Martin in Walking Papers.

"The Seattle Symphony approached Mike McCready about doing the Mad Season record," he told Radio.com. "Immediately, Cornell agreed to do it. He was [Mad Season/Alice In Chains singer] Layne [Staley]'s friend. And then they asked me, I was also Layne's friend. Regrettably, I didn't know [Mad Season bass player] Baker [aka John Saunders]. But I feel like I do now, because I listened to his bass playing inside and out." Read more here.

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Copyright Radio.com/CBS Local - Excerpted here with permission.

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