In a new interview with Guitar World magazine, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready revealed that he’s working on a special project honoring his friend Chris Cornell.

“I look at him as one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time, aside from being a friend,” McCready said. “I love Chris, and I’m working on a little project about the Seattle scene and a musical kind of rock opera thing. He’s part of it.”

The guitarist said that he has about 18 new songs for the rock opera. However, he’s still “in the middle” of writing the music and script.

Meanwhile, McCready provided an update on the upcoming Pearl Jam album, saying “It’s just about finished. I think there’s a few tweaks here and there that have to happen.”

Pearl Jam released their last album Gigaton in 2020.