The Baltimore audience got to hear the first performance of new rocker Your Soul Today, along with the world premiere of....um.....Moonshower. Yes, well, a fan got confused - but after taking him at his word and doing a bit of on-the-spot instant composition, Chris played Sunshower for everyone anyway. And The Washington Post gave the show a great review...

Cochise - Original Fire - Outshined - Hunger Strike - No Such Thing - Fell on Black Days - Like a Stone - Seasons - All Night Thing (Chris Acoustic) - Can't Change Me (Chris Acoustic) - Doesnt Remind Me (Chris Acoustic / Full Band) - Spoonman - Your Soul Today - Say Hello To Heaven - What You Are - Rusty Cage - Sunshower - You Know MY Name - Black Hole Sun - Billie Jean - Jesus Christ Pose

by Matt

"Jesus Christ Pose...fucking owns. It sounded so good, and he still screams. The best part for me, was at the beginning of the song, he put his arms out as if he were on a cross and just started shaking and yeah, it was pretty badass. "

Thanks to jimrock for the photo - and for catching the famous headshake!

By Blackbird Symphonique

"I've seen Chris many times since 1992...maybe 15 times in total. Tonight, he and his band completely melted my brain. I know this is sacrilege, but I shit you not...they did Soundgarden better than Soundgarden. The Audioslave music was as powerful as Audioslave should have been...and Chris sounded better than I have ever heard him in my life. I've herad him in top form, and I've heard him when he was on the ropes. Tonight...he redefined and clearly demonstrated why he is the single greatest voice in rock music. The guy was ridiculously good...better than the records...just unbelievably good. And that band...fucking hell...this band is more than capable. It's no wonder Chris looks like he's having the ride of his life on this new tour...the music sounds fucking incredible.

thanks to jimrock for the photo

by Kalidurga

"I'm totally in a daze right now, so I can't give a really thorough description of the show or a set list, but I can give some highlights. Started off with a rousing version of Cochise, followed by (and this is just what I remember, not the correct order or anything): Outshined, Like a Stone, Spoonman, Seasons, Say Hello to Heaven, No Such Thing, Rusty Cage, Hunger Strike, Fell on Black Days, Can't Change Me... They also did Your Soul Today and Sunshower, both of which Chris said he and the new band had never performed together before this show. At one point, a guy in the front was apparently asking Chris to play "Moonshower". Chris joked that the guy was getting two songs mixed up, then began strumming his acoustic guitar and made up a few impromptu lines. At the end, they came back out for a first encore that inluded Billie Jean, Black Hole Sun and You Know My Name, and a final encore of Jesus Christ Pose. Considering that they started over a half hour late, it was great to get the extra four songs ;) The sound, unfortunately, could have been better. Chris's voice was mixed way too low to hear him clearly throughout the set. Even when he was talking to the audience between songs, it was hard to understand what he was saying sometimes. From what I could tell, though, he sounded damned good. Two highlights for me (aside from the SG tunes) were Seasons and Billie Jean. The new drummer played Seasons with an almost tribal-sounding drumbeat, which made it really cool. And I have to admit that I wasn't a fan of the acoustic version of Billie Jean when I heard it on the 'net. Performing it with the band, though, made it much more intense and dramatic. The energy in the audience and on the stage was pretty awesome, and Chris really came across as being thrilled by the crowd's response. That alone made it a show worth being at...."

Read more on the show at Kalidurga's blog.

Photo by Matt - see more here

thanks to Jimrock for the photo

thanks to Matt for his photo with Chris at the meet & greet - see more here

At Rams Head, No Rust On Chris Cornell's Pipes

by Tricia Olszewski, Washington Post

At the start of Chris Cornell's Rams Head Live show Tuesday, the singer with the renowned rock-god voice sounded, as a certain "American Idol" judge would put it, "a bit shouty." Considering he's spent 20 years belting out hard-edged tunes as a frontman for Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog, some wear on the pipes would be understandable. Was this tour, which is promoting Cornell's second solo album, "Carry On," too much for the vocalist to handle?

It didn't take long to find out. Cornell warmed up in a flash, treating the sold-out audience to rich, jaw-on-the-floor performances of hits and deep cuts from throughout his career. Having split from his most recent group, Audioslave, because of "personality conflicts," Cornell looked comfortable with his tight backing band, to whom he frequently deferred applause after ace renditions of favorites such as "Like a Stone" and "Black Hole Sun," tracks from his new release, and rarities such as "Sunshower," from the 1998 soundtrack for "Great Expectations." A cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" was perhaps the one off note of the night, with the melody melding beautifully with Cornell's voice but the slowed tempo not translating as well.

The two-hour show closed with a double encore that ended with an electrifying extended version of Soundgarden's "Jesus Christ Pose."

Technically complex with a metal sound, the song crescendoed with Cornell's gorgeous wails -- and this time the shouting was just right.

Reprinted from The Washington Post, April 26 2007

(links may not be permanent)

All Night Thing (thanks Matt)

Your Soul Today extract (thanks Matt)

Sunshower extract (thanks Matt)

"Moonshower" improvisation (thanks Matt)

Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2007