chris cornell meets audiences head on in songbook solo acoustic tour

by scott gargan, ctpost.com, march 2011

Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave fame is used to having Kim Thayil's mammoth riffs, Tom Morello's fiery solos and Matt Cameron's machine-gun beats to back him up.

But on his current tour, the singer is meeting his audiences head on.

"You can't just withdraw behind the other band members, the wall of amps or the aggression of the songs," Cornell said of his Songbook Solo Acoustic Tour, which kicked off late last month in Aspen, Colo. "It forces you into a state of fearlessness."

Fans of Cornell will have the chance to experience him in "fearless" form when he comes to the Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport on Friday, April 8.

One of rock's most versatile singers, Cornell will perform songs from throughout his prolific career, as well as a few surprise covers. Within the setting of the intimate, 1,400-seat Klein, Cornell will take requests, interact with the audience and share insights about his music.

At full-scale rock shows, "there's an invisible barrier between the people and the performer," said Cornell, 46. "There's an intimacy that exists at an acoustic show that just doesn't exist otherwise."

And while there's little room to hide, a solo acoustic show offers plenty of room to be creative, Cornell said. In effect, his songs take on new life.

Take "Fell On Black Days," a track Cornell performed during his appearance at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, last month. The acoustic version of the "Superunknown" single is slowed down and stretched out considerably, giving it more room to breathe.

"You add even one other person and that becomes a lot more difficult," Cornell said. "In that case, you have to stick to a set tempo and arrangement. Performing acoustic, you don't have to stick to anything."

That also goes for set lists. In acoustic settings, Cornell has been known to perform an array of oddball covers that might crash in the context of a Soundgarden or Audioslave show. (He once performed an acoustic version of Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" for an audience in Oslo, Norway.)

The set lists also develop organically -- Cornell will try out different songs from night to night, depending on the size of the venue and the mood of the crowd. Never having embarked on a solo acoustic tour before, the songwriter is still experimenting.

"It's a learning process," he said. "Ultimately, you want to connect with your audience."

Despite any of the reservations Cornell might have about the tour, connecting with his audience has never been a problem. As the frontman of Soundgarden, a band that helped to usher in the grunge era, Cornell became known for his deep muscular wail and captivating stage presence. From 1984 to 1997, the band dropped a half dozen hit singles, including "Spoonman" and "Black Hole Sun."

In 2000, following the break-up of Soundgarden, Cornell maintained his popularity when he teamed up with the former members of Rage Against the Machine in the band Audioslave. He penned a series of the group's hits, including "Like a Stone" and "Be Yourself."

When Audioslave disbanded, Cornell embarked on a solo career, producing two albums -- he had released his solo debut, "Euphoria Morning," just prior to forming Audioslave -- and performing the theme song to the James Bond film "Casino Royale."

He rejoined the members of Soundgarden for a much-heralded reunion tour last year, reaffirming the band's lasting appeal.

The group is currently recording a new studio album with producer Adam Kasper, who also worked with the four-piece on its 1996 record, "Down On the Upside."

Asked about a release date for the new record, Cornell replied, "There's no projection of when it's going to hit the street, but that doesn't mean we're taking it slowly. It's an industrious period."

It is telling that in the midst of recording a new album, Cornell has still found time to reach out to his audience. After all, he's never been one to hide from his fans.

"I've performed acoustically a lot, but never in the context of a tour," Cornell said. "It's all about discovering what it means to be right in front of people."

Reprinted from CTPost.com - originally available as an online feature here

Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2011