thanks to Temple of Trouble for the photo

Things finally got too hot for the band in the mid-West and during a welcome downpour, Chris took an impromptu shower under the cascade of water from the Congress Theatre's leaking roof. Then, save modest bassist Corey, they all came out for the encore shirtless.

thanks to Vera for the setlist photo

Photos by Adam Bielawski / PR Photos at Monsters And Critics and Exposay

Photos by MXV - and a great blog about the show - at The Punk Vault

Photo by MXV - used by permission, see more at The Punk Vault

by Jill

The show in Chicago typified everything that Chris Cornell means to me. I watched him play in my hometown, one of the greatest cities in the world, surrounded by family and friends, all mesmerized by Chris Cornell. This is the power of his voice. He brings people together and invites us into his world for two hours. It is a magnanimous gesture as he gives everything of himself to his fans in that amount of time. It is a communion as spiritual as I have seen in any church or religious ceremony. This is why it is even more significant to share it with your loved ones. You walk away knowing that somehow, some way the experience brought you and yours closer.

The setlist was almost the same as in Milwaukee, except with a few surprises. Billie Jean was played as heart rendering as we were privileged to hear it once before at the Metro. I have a hard time listening to it on the cd after being present for such live, raw emotion. Jesus Christ Pose was just insane and had us frantically jumping up and down. I know I have said before that Sunshower should be played acoustically, but they have crafted such a joyous and vibrant ending that I may be changing my mind.

Finally Forever was prefaced by Chris with a little explanation. He said he wrote this song for his wife to sing for their wedding. Thank you, Chris, for letting us glimpse what that day meant to you. He plays it on his acoustic guitar, and you get a sense of his beautiful wife floating down the aisle to start their lives together. He also prefaced What You Are by saying everyone deserves the life they want. Another insight into his world. His humor shined down on us as someone threw a thong on the stage and he automatically handed it to Peter, saying it must have been meant for him. He laughed as raindrops from the decrepit, leaky ceilings of the Congress Theater joined the sweat of his body. He was in such good spirits, you would never know this was the third show on a grueling schedule that would best men younger than himself. He brings tears to your eyes with his emotional depth on songs like Say Hello to Heaven or Wave Goodbye. And lifts you high atop the Sears Tower with Safe and Sound and Be Yourself. When it is all over, and you are dripping with sweat, completely fulfilled, you know it is not the heat that makes you wring out your shirt. And he wrings out his.

Jill with Chris at the meet and greet

by Phossil

Holy Crap that show rocked! Juliette and the Licks played really well and was a great opener for Chris. The crowd was really into it and at one point Chris said he loved playing Chicago because we could really fill a venue (the place was packed) and that he could walk out on the audience's heads. For the encore the whole band came out shirtless and finished really well. It was raining outside and at one point the ceiling of the stage started leaking - Chris stood underneath the water for Rusty Cage.

thanks to Tina for the photo

by Patti S.

I want to start off by saying The Congress is the worst venue I've ever seen!! On the car ride from Rockford to Chicago, my daughter was busy at making a "Be Yourself" sign to hold up at the concert. We got there, parked..got inside and headed for the rail. Luckily, I talked a girl into letting my daughter squeeze in next to her on the rail. The show began. Chris and the band were AMAZING! As I was watching, I started thinking of how comfortable Chris looks in his skin now. How much he has grown and matured, and how he seems to be more content in who he is.

As they start playing Say Hello To Heaven, I look down at my daughter Kayleen and notice she has tears streaming down her cheek. I lean over and ask her "what's wrong, you ok?" and she says "yeah mom, this song is just so sad". So then I got teary eyed and so did my friend Emily. It was jus so beauiful to see her moved by the song like that. After holding her sign up for awhile, Chris walks over..grabs it and shows it to everyone. They started playing Be Yourself and that made the night for her!

After the show we went to the meet n greet. They were all very nice, giving her compliments on her eyes. Sutter told her next time he'd get her a set of drum sticks and she thought that was way cool for him to offer. We walked back to my friend Emily's car, only to find the window smashed and all of her belongings taken.She was pretty upset, so we walked back to the venue to call the police. Yogi came walking up, remembering us from the meet n greet. When he heard what happened he stuck around for awhile and gave Emily a kiss on the cheek, told her he was sorry to hear what happened..such a sweet guy!

On a scale of 1 to 10, their performance was undoubtably a 10! Anyone who passes up a chance to see them is ..simply a fool! The show was awesome,and the band has more soul than many many bands I've seen!

Photo by MXV - used by permission, see more at The Punk Vault

by BeYourself

I agree that this was a great concert. While some of you (mostly women) loved the show due to the bare chests and rain soaked hair... I enjoyed the show because of the song "Be Yourself". I moved here from Japan about 5 years ago, and did not know who Soundgarden were at all. A few years ago, a girl played the song "Be Yourself" for me and I instantly fell in love. When I seen Chris grab that sign last night, I almost fainted. I too was going to make a sign asking for "Be Yourself" but I was not sure about which colors to use or what the acceptable amount of glitter was... so I'm glad someone else helped out. Everytime Chris sang those inspirational words, a shiver ran down my spine. Everyone around me was singing along and for the first time I was not an Asian on American soil, I was an Asian American and I was proud to BE MYSELF. Thank you to Chris, the girl holding the sign, and the makers of the microphone and speakers.

Photo by MXV - used by permission, see more at The Punk Vault

by Nancy

I guess it just wasn't hot enough in Milwaukee Tuesday night, because Wednesday night in the Congress Theater it was finally shirts off for everyone (but the bass player). Thanks to at least one camera-smugglin' fan we have pictures. There was a heavy rainstorm during the show (last time he was in Chicago was that freak blizzard in April) and at one point the roof over the stage began to leak. He apparently sang Rusty Cage standing under the leak.

thanks to Temple of Trouble for the photo

Read more on Chris's midwestern shows at Nancy's blog My Own Private Idaho

Chicago Tribune

The whole solo gig thing kind of a drag to Cornell

While the Decemberists were across town at Millennium Park, its lineup boosted tenfold for a one-off performance with the Grant Park Orchestra, a newly solo Chris Cornell was doing his best to go it alone, playing to a crowded Congress Theater on Wednesday.

But for a solo act, the onetime Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman, touring behind the recently released "Carry On," relied heavily on his past bands' work.

Cornell appeared bored as he opened the show with a pair of Soundgarden tunes, delivering "Let Me Drown" and "Outshined" with all the intensity of a cashier making change.

Audioslave's "Show Me How To Live" followed, the singer finally awakening as his four-piece backing band carpet-bombed the venue with a bevy of two-ton riffs.

Any momentum the group built up was lost when Cornell debuted his first solo tune, "No Such Thing," a song whose hollow lyrics ("There's no such thing as nothing") were made even more unbearable by Cornell's vocal delivery, which sounded more suited to a Broadway production than a rough-and-tumble rock show.

While still in fine voice, Cornell has managed to evolve from a shirtless, long-haired banshee to a skinny, denim-clad Buddha ("Everyone deserves to be happy," he cooed after one song), and his existential world-view colored sappy new tunes like "Safe and Sound."

"I've never seen, but I believe in a promised land," he sang wearily on the latter.

The singer was far better when he returned to older material. He tore into "Rusty Cage" with all the ferocity of a yeti ripping pine trees from the hard earth, howled like a madman at the close of a funky "Spoonman" and turned "Say Hello to Heaven" into a communal prayer, spreading his arms wide as if blessing the crowd.

"You gotta keep moving forward," remarked Cornell mid-show, a maxim he thankfully ignored in his nostalgia-heavy performance.

- Andy Downing, Chicago Tribune

thanks to Temple of Trouble for the photo

My Wave (extract) - thanks templeoftrouble

Black Hole Sun (extract) - thanks templeoftrouble

Download Sunshower video from the Chris Cornell Concerts site

Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2007