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Tonight another Chris Cornell nearly stole the show - but he's still only one year old! Big Chris did the Lion King thing, brought Little Chris out and introduced him to his daddy's public. With much of his family in attendance in the wings to watch, Chris played a triumphant set. Sadly, though security didn't allow cameras at this show and so fan photos and videos are few and far between!
Spoonman - Outshined - Original Fire - No Such Thing - Say Hello 2 Heaven - Hunger Strike - What You Are - Rusty Cage - Seasons - Scar on the Sky - I am the Highway - Can't Change Me - Doesn't Remind Me - Your Soul Today - Billie Jean - Cochise - Like a Stone - Sunshower - Black Hole Sun - You Know My Name - Zero Chance - Slaves and Bulldozers
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Shots from London Features International
Say Hello To Heaven (thanks yield2pearljam)
Little Chris meets the fans (thanks yield2pearljam)
Jason's drum solo in Slaves & Bulldozers (thanks Rasha818)
By shantasa
At 10 am. on Wednesday May 2nd 2007, around the corner from Johnny Cash’s star on Hollywood Blvd and just under the stack of the Capitol Records building, people began setting out lawn chairs in front of the Avalon. Over the next nine and a half hours, stories were swapped, connections were made, and friendships were forged. At 1:00 the trucks pulled up and the roadies started to load in the equipment.
I have to admit that my stomach gave a little jolt when I saw the crate come down off the truck with the words “Chris Cornell, stage left” scribbled on the green tape. Excitement was definitely mounting. At about 3:00, the band members started showing up one by one. By this time you could hear the excitement buzzing in the smoggy Los Angeles air. Passerby’s were stopping to see who was playing tonight and people were beginning to really hunt for spare tickets. Negotiations were in full swing. Tickets were being swapped, deals were being made, and magic was being performed.
Sometime around 4:00, the excitement in the air took a turn for the extreme as Chris Cornell made his way into the building in a flurry of frantic fans and a storm of memorabilia needing to be signed.
thanks to Shantasa for the photo
For the next few hours we were teased, prepped, and primed for what was to be in store for us. From either side of the building, Chris and band could be heard loud and clear. Occasionally a cool bouncer would come along and leave the front doors to the lobby open so that those in the front of the lines could be teased as well. That had to be the longest sound check in the history of sound checks.
By 7:30, the line was wrapped a block down Vine and at least a half a block down Hollywood Blvd., just past Johnny’s star. One of the bouncers mentioned that he had never seen the line so long. After a good deal of stress and miscommunication regarding cameras, will call, and guest lists, and a little verbal wrestling with a particularly patronizing bouncer, we were in.
thanks to Shantasa for the photo
When I say we, I mean a group of people that started out as just my husband and me and grew in both number and coolness throughout the day. By the time we entered the Avalon, we were a group of about ten strong. These were some of the coolest people I have ever had the pleasure of spending a day with. Of course, there was no way a group that size could stay together, so we all branched out. My husband and I ended up at the very right side end of the rail. It was a great spot. We had a perfect view of the entire stage, plus we were near the townhouse entrance, which is really just a nice backstage that’s off to the side of the stage. We had a perfect view of Chris and the band entering the stage, Chris’s family rocking out, and the band members playing with the babies as the night went on.
Once inside, it was apparent that there weren’t that many casual fans in attendance. Considering that the show sold out so quick that people doubted tickets ever even went on sale, I wasn’t sure what to expect with it being Hollywood and all. But you could tell that it really was fans and not the Hollywood B list that got the tickets this time. The energy was immense. People talking, laughing, drinking, anxiously waiting, and no opening act to water the room down.
At about the same time the roadies took the stage and began to twang and tap the instruments to make sure that they were all plugged in, a couple of little toddlers could be seen running back and forth in the first level wing above the stage. At one point Vicky, Chris’s wife, picked their little girl up and held her high enough to see the whole crowd. Little Toni waved at the crowd and the crowd waved and cheered back.
A few minutes later, the townhouse door opened and out they came. First the whole band, with Chris following behind. Chris stood on the stage, scanned the room for a minute and then launched right into Spoonman. It was like a bubble had burst and the crowd went nuts! It was on.
It was pretty obvious right from the very start that the guys on stage with Chris were going to be able to pull this off. For the next two and a half hours we were pummeled, rocked, loved and amazed. One of the first things I noticed right from the start was how much fun these five guys were having on stage together. Not only were they rocking out this amazing collection of music and doing it right, but they were having a hell of a time doing it! Throughout the night, Chris repeatedly asked the crowd to “Give it up for these motherfuckers!” And of course the crowd did as they were told. At one point, I think after Cochise of all things, there was a group hug on stage. Everyone except the drummer, who was blown a very sweet kiss by Chris.
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Jason Sutter, the drummer, wasn’t the only one to get a sweet kiss from Chris that night. At a point in the show when most rock stars would walk over to the side of stage and pound back a couple of shots of Jack Daniels, Chris Cornell picked up his baby son from his wife and brought him out to the center of the stage. He told the crowd that he wanted to introduce somebody, and he said “We Call this one Baby Chris.” Then he asked for all the ladies in the room to cheer for his son. And all the ladies wholeheartedly complied! Baby Chris with his big headphones and long blonde curls, looked a little overwhelmed with all the attention from his father’s adoring female fans, but I could swear I caught a little gleam in his eye. He was enjoying it! His daddy even asked him if he was. Daddy also asked him to say hi to the audience and to clap, but baby Chris was way too absorbed in the sheer magnitude of what he was seeing to perform, just yet.
Chris hugged and kissed his son and as he handed him back to his wife he gave her a sweet kiss as well. He then came back, grabbed his acoustic guitar and said “This one’s for you, son” and then began to play Seasons. From the very first line the crowd was riveted. From where I stood, you could hear a pin drop. I looked back and scanned the audience and there was no movement in the room, either on the floor or in the balcony. The lack of movement was intense. So many bodies, so many people just magically held in suspense. I don’t think I have ever seen anything like that before. It was beautiful. So was the rendition of the song.
The same thing happened again during I Am The Highway. Another thing that struck me was how well Chris and his musicians were able to change up the music. Nothing was played exactly as you would find on an Audioslave or Soundgarden album. Everything had something new about it, either vocally or musically. Guitarists Peter Thorn and Yogi were both able to include some new guitar solos that really worked throughout the night. They are both amazing players in their own right.
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Lyrically Chris managed to change up the songs quite a bit. Unfortunately, I don’t think it was completely on purpose. After 20 years of making music and with a repertoire such as his, there is no way he could remember every lyric to every song. It was okay though, because the crowd sang along to the messed up lines just a loudly as they did the accurate ones. He even told the crowd how good we were for following along. It didn’t matter if the lines were wrong or not. I mean, who’s going to argue with Chris about his lyrics? Not one single person in that audience!
Someone in the audience held up a towel or something that had the words Say Hello To Heaven perfectly written out on it. Chris said “Give Me That!” When it finally made it’s way into his hands, he held it up and paraded it back and forth across the stage. He then told that crowd that we were going to do this like a childhood play and that this was act one. Then, with one pocket of his old jeans turned inside out and his hair looking like a tousled school boy, he began to perform one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. I looked around at the people near me and some were crying, others were smiling, and some looked as though they were having a religious experience. Lighters, not just cell phones, were flaring and everyone in that room was thinking of someone or something that is important to them. I’m sure of it.
Chris’s face grimaced in what looked like pain, but could have really been anything, and everyone in the room could feel it, not just hear it. As the night progressed, Chris screamed, laughed, ripped at his own hair, pounded his microphone into his chest like a beating heart to bassist Cory McCormick’s thundering bass lines, played with his band mates and joked with the crowd.
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He talked about his “perfect” wife and the songs that his kids like to dance to. He even gave the obligatory “Stand Up!“ speech to the people sitting down in the balcony. Then he said something to the effect of "just forget it and go get a drink at the bar". He even jumped down into the crowd and signed some items!
He gave us a little bit of everything form Soundgarden, Temple Of The Dog, Audioslave, Euphoria Morning, songs from his new and as of yet unreleased solo album, and even three songs from movie soundtracks. In return, the crowd gave back. We gave him everything he asked for. If he wanted us to scream we did, if he wanted us to cheer on his band mates, we did. If he wanted us to be quiet, we did. All the while, his family sat on the side of the stage, cheering him on in their own way, the babies dancing around like crazy until they had to fall asleep. At one point I turned and noticed that even Chris Rock was standing right beside me enjoying the show. Only in Hollywood!
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Somehow I had missed what the second act might have been, but the third act was unbelievable. Someone in the audience held up a sign that had Zero Chance written on it. He held it up, paraded it back and forth across the stage and said “This is act three!” And what an act it was! Zero Chance is one of my favorite songs and it is beyond description how it made me feel to hear it performed live.
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Also, sometime during the second encore, we were treated to a great little drum solo from Jason Sutter. It was promised to us by Chris earlier in the evening. He had told us that if we were good, Jason would give us a treat. I guess we were good. The performance ended with a rendition of Slaves and Bulldozers that I cannot even adequately begin to describe. The energy in the crowd, moving and rocking in unison, with Chris the Maestro orchestrating our very bodies. It was just amazing. He held up a piece of paper with a big heart drawn on it that had come from the crowd and paraded it back in forth several times. He was telling us that he loved us and we were screaming and clapping and telling him that we loved him back. It was overwhelming. Apparently it overtook him a little as well because at the end he stood and looked out at the crowd, hesitated for a moment and then jumped right in! He swam his way through the crowd of adoring fans, grabbing hands and giving back that last little bit, and then he was gone.
Because of some amazing twist of fate, good karma, dumb luck, Chris’s management and some really great hardworking fans, I was able to participate with the meet and greet at the end of the night. I won’t bore anyone with all of those details, but I have to talk about it a little. First off, the band members are really cool guys. After meeting them I have a feeling that Chris not only chose them to play with him on this tour because of their musical abilities, but also because they are a really great bunch of guys. They looked like five friends hanging out on stage and they looked like five friends hanging out at the table.
Talking with Chris face to face was probably one of the most stressful and wonderful moments of my life. All at once! He was so laid back and easy to talk to. I asked him to sign some of my “Chris inspired” artwork and he complimented me on it. So there I was, trying to figure out how to deal graciously with receiving a compliment from Chris Cornell! He even asked me for a copy of one of the things I brought and lo and behold, I actually had an extra one! The whole experience was so amazing that I still haven’t been able to digest it all properly.
artwork courtesy of Shantasa, inscribed by Chris
I’m sure that I have some things backwards in this review, and that someone will correct me. I will be attending the benefit concert in honor of Chris this Friday in L.A. More so than ever, I feel that he deserves all of the recognition praise that he gets. I have to admit that I am proud to be a fan of Chris Cornell. I realized Wednesday night that even if that were all that he was, an amazing performer, great writing abilities, a repertoire twenty years long, and a voice that could appease the gods, I would still be a fan.
But, that’s not all of it. This is a person that has transcended stereotypes and beaten odds. He has changed things for the better in the music industry and maintained his moral integrity. It’s difficult to not be inspired to become a better person when looking at this man‘s life. It’s difficult not to be moved by his lyrics, or affected by his passion. The proof is everywhere, on message boards, in blogs, in the Avalon on May 2nd, 2007. Chris Cornell has changed people, gotten them through tough times, and helped them to heal. In an industry based on glamour and illusion, in a world of glamour and illusion, Chris brings us back to the real. He reminds us once again of what is important, what makes sense, and what is right. The love of family, the camaraderie of friends, personal growth and change, creative expression, those are all things that make this world a better place to live. Carry On Chris. Thank you.
- Shantasa Saling May 6th 2007
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Cornell's Soundgarden tunes rock the Avalon crowd
By Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times
Chris Cornell introduced his two-hour concert Wednesday at Avalon Hollywood by telling the audience that he intended to play "old songs, new songs and in-between songs."
He's got a lot of each: For most of the '90s, Cornell served as the frontman of Soundgarden, one of the most successful bands to come out of Seattle's grunge scene.
When that group broke up, Cornell put out "Euphoria Morning," a solo album that traded Soundgarden's thinking-man's metal for psychedelic folk-rock.
In 2001, Cornell joined three-fourths of Rage Against the Machine (after the departure of Rage's singer, Zack de la Rocha) to form Audioslave, which made three CDs before calling it quits this year. And next month, Cornell will release "Carry On," his sophomore solo disc.
Backed by a muscular four-piece band, Cornell did as promised at Avalon. He played a lovely acoustic version of "Can't Change Me," a Beatlesque ballad from "Euphoria Morning." He did "Cochise," Audioslave's homage to Led Zeppelin's misty-mountain funk. He even sang "You Know My Name," the bombastic title-sequence track from last year's James Bond flick, "Casino Royale"; it's one of the few tunes that doesn't make Cornell sound like he's oversinging.
But Cornell's fans came to hear old songs. Perhaps inspired by Rage's reunion last weekend at Coachella, they cheered Soundgarden material as though the band's original lineup were onstage. Despite modern rock's takeover by stylish young emo bands, the vintage stuff sounded surprisingly unweathered: "Spoonman" throbbed with primal energy. "Rusty Cage" drove hard and fast. "Black Hole Sun," Soundgarden's biggest radio hit, induced mass head-nodding. (A few lighters even appeared to show cellphone users what concertgoers used to wave.)
Cornell closed the show with an extended version of Soundgarden's "Slaves & Bulldozers," complete with drum solo. As Cornell stood center stage, allowing the fuzzy guitar roar to pummel his body, he seemed perfectly content to serve up neo-grunge nostalgia.
Reprinted from the Los Angeles Times
Chris Cornell Plays LA
by Paul Cashmere, undercover.au
Chris Cornell was back in Los Angeles last night, playing at the Avalon for the final stages of his current North American tour.
The shows are a prelude to his forthcoming solo album 'Carry On', due May 26th on Universal.
Cornell is a smart man. He is using the shows, his first since the bust-up of Audioslave, to claim back his heritage.
The setlist featured the best of Soundgarden and Audioslave, a reminder of the Temple of the Dog project from 1990, songs from his 1999 solo album, a sprinkling of the new record and his acoustic cover of Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean'.
For the fans, Cornell dug deep, dropping the more recognizable 'Show Me How To Live' from the setlist for audience request 'Zero Chance'.
Reprinted from undercover.au, May 4 2007
Cornell relaunches his solo career with triumphant LA Show
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Rocker CHRIS CORNELL relaunched his solo career in Hollywood last night (02May07) and introduced fans to his 16-month-old son.
The former Audioslave and Soundgarden frontman performed a set of hits and songs from his upcoming second solo album Carry On, including a rock power ballad version of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean.
But the highlight of the sold-out show at Los Angeles' Avalon came when he carried his baby son Chris out onto the stage and asked his female fans to scream at the tot. Wearing earphones and army fatigues, "Baby Chris" was stunned by his father's fans and clapped as his proud dad introduced him.
Cornell handed the tot over to his mother in the wings, adding, "This song is for you little buddy," before leading his new band into a rendition of Seasons from the Singles soundtrack.
As well as his version of Billie Jean, Cornell also performed new tunes Scar On The Sky and No Such Thing. He also played Audioslave favourites Gasoline and Cochise, and ended with Soundgarden's classic Black Hole Sun after playing the grunge act's Rusty Cage earlier in the show.
And there was even a treat for his devotees - a version of grunge supergroup Temple of The Dog's Say Hello 2 Heaven.
Cornell announced his solo plans after quitting Audioslave in February (07), explaining he and his bandmates "weren't particularly getting along well."
Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2007
