Dear Chris,

In November 2013, I took my then-18 year old daughter Ingrid to see you at the Lincoln Theater here in Washington, DC.   She had been a major grunge fan since the 9th grade, and she even wrote her high school senior thesis on the grunge movement, concentrating specifically on you and Soundgarden.   Her favorite song of yours was and still is “Seasons”.

We had 10th row center-right seats in this very small, intimate theater. When you began the opening chords to “Seasons”, Ingrid forgot her own debilitating, anxiety-driven shyness, jumped up from her seat, and called out in the hushed theater,  “Oh my God, I love this song… I wrote my senior thesis on you.”

You looked at her, nodded, smiled, and proceeded to sing the entire song directly to my daughter.  She was more moved than I could ever possibly express in mere words.  What you did for her that night changed her life.  In just that one 5-minute span, she found herself.  She is now in graduate school, studying clinical neuropsychology to become a mental health counselor for people who are suffering from anxiety disorders.

So from this mom, I would like to thank you for being the kind of man who took the time to connect with a kid in your audience and change her life.

With love,
Sue