Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready Working On Rock Opera About Seattle Music Scene

Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready has revealed that he is currently working on a rock opera about the Seattle music scene.

In an interview with Guitar World, McCready said the rock opera is inspired by and paying tribute to his late friend and former bandmate Chris Cornell.

In August, McCready surprised fans with a live performance of an acoustic track that he says was written in honor of Cornell, who died in 2017.

The song, titled “Crying Moon,” was the first preview of the rock opera that he shared on Instagram.

“I’m working on a script and I’ve got about 18 songs that I’m working on, and I’m singing on it,” McCready said, hinting that he plans to make it “a record and maybe some sort of stage/play thing.”

“I look at him as one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time, aside from being a friend,” he said about Cornell, who was the Soundgarden frontman. “I love Chris and I’m working on a little project about the Seattle scene and a musical kind of rock opera thing. It’s just from my experience in the Seattle music scene, and he’s part of it.”

In the interview, McCready also said that a follow-up to Pearl Jam’s 2020 album Gigaton is being given the finishing touches.

(Photo: Lugnuts)