Tuesday, May 10, 2011

CHRIS CORNELL: SO NEAR AND YET SO PAINFULLY FAR Notes from the Songbook Tour


It’s great when an act or artist you’ve loved decades ago performs on stage not as a nostalgia act but as someone who continues to be creative, prolific, productive, magnetic, exciting and inspiring.

I first heard the work of Chris Cornell close to 20 years ago when some guys decided to cover “Outshined,” at the original Club Dredd along Timog Avenue.  It turned out it was by a Seattle band called Soundgarden, off their album “Badmotorfinger.”

Soundgarden disbanded in 1997, Chris embarked on a solo career and produced the excellent “Euphoria Morning,” later on (2001) he joined former members of “Rage Against the Machine” to form Audioslave.  Audioslave disbands in 2007, he goes back to his solo career and in 2010, he reunites with Soundgarden. 

It is worth mentioning, Cornell also was a part of a project band calld Temple of the Dog with Soundgarden and Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and Eddie Vedder.  They came out with the album Temple of the Dog in 1991, one of my favorite albums of all time.

I’ve loved his work as a musician, vocalist and most especially as a lyricist.  So, it comes as no surprise an out and out fan girl from Manila would be through the roof getting an opportunity to watch Mr. Cornell perform at one of the stops for his 2011 Songbook Tour.

The Songbook Tour is an acoustic set, which includes work across the board from his solo career, Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden and Audioslave.  He did, however, start and end his show with covers—Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” and John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

He did a lot of my favorites—Audioslave’s “Be Yourself,” Temple of the Dog’s “All Night Thing” and “Sunshower” from the Great Expectations soundtrack and Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You.”  The crowd loved and sang along to “Black Hole Sun” (Soundgarden), “Hunger Strike” (Temple of the Dog), “Doesn’t Remind Me of Anything” (Audioslave) and “Better Man” (Pearl Jam cover).

Mr. Cornell’s acoustic shows play at venues with capacities hovering at 1,000 to 1,500.  This means he can get really intimate with the audience.  He responds to comments, shout outs and questions he can hear.  He also can tell stories tailor fit to the crowd, location and mood.

It also means a fan girl can come up close and feel like she’s watching one of her musician friends play in Manila.  Except that I don’t get to say “hi” and ask what’s happening after the show.  Pity

The show started on time and lasted for a solid two hours and 20 minutes. 

Mr. Cornell played the song “Say Hello To Heaven” which is farewell song of sorts for a friend who has shuffled off this mortal coil.  However, being right up front, as close as I could get made me feel like I had a taste of heaven too.

THE SET LIST:

1. Redemption Song (Bob Marley cover)
2. Be Yourself (Audioslave) - my favorite Audioslave song
3. Ground Zero
4. Can't Change Me (solo)
5. As Hope and Promise Fades - first time I heard this one
6. Call Me A Dog (Temple of the Dog)
7. Fell on Black Days (Soundgarden)
8. Burden in My Hand (Soundgarden)
9. I am the Highway (Audioslave) - I love the lyrics "I am not your rolling wheels / I am a highway / I am not your carpet ride /
I am the sky
10. State Trooper - first time I heard that one, kind of bluesy
11. Thank You (Led Zeppelin)
12. When I'm Down - first time I heard that one too
13. Seasons - from the Singles soundtrack
14. Sunshower (solo from Great Expectations Soundtrack)
15.. All Night Thing (Temple of the Dog)
16. Man of Golden Words - first time I heard that one
17. Say Hello to Heaven (Temple of the Dog)
18. Billie Jean (MJ)
19. Preaching the End of the World (solo)
20. Like A Stone (Audioslave) "In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently / I'll wait for you there / like a stone"
21. Doesn't Remind Me (Audioslave)
22. Wide Awake
23. Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden)
24. Hunger Strike (Temple of the Dog)
25. Better Man (Pearl Jam)
26. Imagine (John Lennon)




Chris Cornell ended his Songbook tour last week tours with Soundgarden in July.




2 comments:

  1. awesome k,such a lovely setlist, though i was kinda expecting him to do "rusty cage", still at least he dint do much from his last solo lp produced by timbaland which was also the source of his "word war" with trent reznor,hehe.whatta treat wish i was there:-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Word war with Trent? Saya nun ah. Got links for it?

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.