chris carries the scottish flag into battle: thanks to sophie for the photo

Chris told the Melbourne audience on this last, sold-out date on the Australasian tour that he'd be back in about six months. They'll probably hold him to that! This one went down in history, not least because a Scotsman in the crowd handed Chris a Saltire with "Slaves and Bulldozers" written across it. Chris wore the Scottish flag for several songs before returning it to its original owner. The show drew raves from every critic, with the set taking in Temple of the Dog rarity Pushing Forward Back as well as an acoustic Blow Up The Outside World.

If you have the complete setllist in the right order, please contact me!

by Hunger Strike

Thank you Chris Cornell for creating what was not just one of my greatest music memories I am ever likely to have, but one of life's.

thanks to sophie for the photo

I swear I was like a kid at Christmas time when I had my tickets in hand. Here I was just about to see a guy I have been listening to for years and years. From the days when I would skate along to Soundgarden and Temple of the Dog with my bad Tony Hawk haircut and even worse skating ability. But that is a different story. This was truly a breathtaking and speech defying show by a guy with one of music's greatest voices.

thanks to mel for the photo

The show proved you don't need pyrotechnics or naked dancing chicks for a show. All you need is someone who knows who he is and what the fans came for. Such an incredible set; full of emotion and passion. It was as if he was part of the crowd.

Although I hestitate to say there were songs I wish I would have heard; Hunger Strike, Jesus Chris Pose etc (feel free to kick me in the nuts for that comment), no one could possibly fault the setlist. Two and a half hours of sheer magic!

So thank you Chris and your band. It was amazing to see a band give so much; posing for photos, throwing out more guitar picks then you would find in a guitar store etc. Please come back again! Your fanbase in Australia is huge and we welcome you anytime.

thanks to sophie for the photo

This will truly stand as a most memorable of moments in my life. What an amazing crowd too (cheers for sharing the moment). For anyone that missed out; don't next time. This was a night of music as its best.

Chris, you said at the concert you would be back in six months. We all hold you to that. Thanks again. What a brilliant night!

Yogi luxuriates: thanks to veronica jane beasant for the photo

thanks to amirah for the photo - see more here

thanks to mel for the photo

by jerramw

Tonight was one of those gigs that show you something - here is a guy we have all listened to on our stereos for it seems a long time of our life...and then you see the guy stand in front of you and do it. Man, that really brings a lot of things home.

thanks to sarah miller for the photo - see more here

Chris, I wonder if you get that feeling when you see someone larger than life and they 'bring it' and you can feel them...you walk out feeling like you can do anything.

It was awesome to be there for this tonight. The band was great and you totally rocked it mate. You all looked like you were having fun and I can say it was totally reciprocated.

thanks to sophie for the photo

I screamed till I was hoarse, meanwhile you sounded better than ever. To anyone who wasn't there - we got a 2 1/2 hour gig when the support couldn't show. Lucky us. Thanks for the show guys - you're welcome here any time.

by phoque

I was amazed at how well Chris Cornell can still sing. I've heard a few live recordings from the past couple of years and they were not impressive. Even the recordings of Soundgarden shows didn't compare vocally to last night. He is so so good. I would have traded Black Hole Sun for Big Dumb Sex but that's just me. I hope he really does come back soon. Today I was sad that it's all over.

thanks to sophie for the photo

by loudlover

As much as it pained me to say it, I thought this gig was better than Tool back in January. I managed to get to the front, got to hold Chris' hand, got a guitar pick and I proceeded to lose my mind when he sang "What You Are". And "Ty Cobb"! That was totally unexpected and forgive me for being short on synonyms, but it rocked hard. Went home in a daze. Never thought I'd get to hear him sing the Soundgarden catalogue. Dream come true, etc.

thanks to sophie for the photo

thanks to sarah miller for the photo - see more here

Be Yourself - thanks jasperoz

I Am The Highway - thanks calder70

Can't Change Me - thanks calder70

Whole Lotta Love (extract) - thanks perrickan

thanks to Shaz for the photo

thanks to amirah for the photo - see more here

Beat Magazine

Chris Cornell - The Forum

thanks to veronica jane beasant for the photo

Perhaps you could be forgiven for assuming the Chris Cornell show at the Forum Theatre was going to be little more than a glorified cover band trotting out the multiple hits of the former Soundgarden/Audioslave singer’s stellar career. Perhaps as an old fan you justified not buying a ticket because of persistent speculation that Cornell’s spectacular pipes were now well past their prime. But man, how wrong you’d be.

His band – amazing musicians in their own right – opened proceedings, as Cornell stalked onstage to the opening riff of Let Me Drown. It would be but one of a clutch of songs taken from Soundgarden’s definitive piece Superunknown, but not before the classic Badmotorfinger track Outshined made an appearance to an appreciative roar. Likewise, Audioslave’s Show Me How To Live got the blood well and truly pumping in the packed-out Forum.

From the start, Cornell’s voice was on. As a diehard Soundgarden fan marginally disappointed in the singer’s recorded output since the band broke up, this writer has been as guilty as others for suggesting that that old spine-tingling power and stratospheric range were not once what they were. And I happily take it back. Every word. There hasn’t been and still isn’t a voice like his in history, and anyone who had the luck to be in the Forum that night will know what I’m talking about. Cornell sang like a veritable motherfucker, hitting every note effortlessly, his preternatural register reverberating through the crowd like a clarion bell.

In a nod to the hardcore fans, Cornell got the ‘new stuff’ out of the way early, moving quickly through No Such Thing (the lead tune from his new album Carry On) and the Bond theme-track You Know My Name. To the crowd’s utter delight he then introduced Say Hello To Heaven, and for those there who thought they’d never ever hear Temple Of The Dog songs (the beautiful eulogy project for his long dead Seattle flatmate and fellow musician Andrew Wood of MotherLoveBone) performed live it was enough to sent chills down the collective spine.

Audioslave got a further look in with Out Of Exile’s singalong hit Be Yourself and the first album’s What You Are, but it wasn’t until the almighty Rusty Cage that the roof really lifted.

Cornell’s unquestionable strength as songwriter was showcased beautifully when his band exited stage and he was able to pare down acoustically such brilliant songs as Blow Up The Outside World (from Soundgarden’s Down On The Upside), Can’t Change Me (the Beatles-style single from first solo outing Euphoria Morning), Temple of The Dog’s All Night Thing, Audioslave’s Like A Stone and I’m The Highway, and finally the country-ish ramble of Doesn’t’ Remind Me, before the band launched in perfectly on the second verse. Hearing the songs sung like that, in their bare essence, was truly wondrous stuff.

thanks to anna for the photo

An instrumental unwinded into the Zeppelin-esque Audioslave anthem Cochise, the amphetamine rockabilly of Ty Cobb, and Cornell’s more pop-orientated Arms Around Your Love, featuring some spot-on harmonies from his two guitarists. Euphoria Morning got another look-in with the jazz-tinged Wave Goodbye, but the real treat was witnessing Pushin’ Forward Back, a track Cornell introduced as “this song hasn’t been played live since about the first two weeks after the Temple Of The Dog first came out.”

Spoonman was a predictable crowd hit, but for this writer the encore inclusion of Burden In My Hand, an underrated single from Soundgarden’s final album, was one of the show’s subtler highlights. Sunshower, penned for the soundtrack to Great Expectations, followed with perhaps his best-known lament, Black Hole Sun. And yet, if there was a defining moment in the mammoth set, then any naysayer who witnessed Cornell wail wide-eyed through the jaw-droppingly high notes and sledgehammer heavy grooves of Badmotorfinger’s Slaves & Bulldozers, would have to walk home more than mollified. Shit, I’m still buzzing over it days from the show.

As dark as much of the singer’s material is lyrically, it’s clear both he and his band were having a lot of fun, the two grinning guitarists flicking plectrums at each all night and catching them mid-strum, while Cornell hammed it up with the bassplayer.

thanks to amirah for the photo - see more here

Such a marathon performance speaks as much about Cornell’s enthusiasm to want to deliver a set that long - let’s face it, he could have easily gotten away with a show half that length quite respectably but chose not to - as it does the fans who lapped up every tune he faithfully delivered and could have stayed for more. And that’s including the lengthy closing medley of Like A Suicide and 4th Of July which eventually morphed into an incendiary rendition of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love.

I can happily say this was the gig of the year. By a long shot. If you missed out, then pacify yourself only slightly with the knowledge the man will be back in six months (or so he promised on the night), but be warned that anyone who was there will not want to miss it again either. And surely, there must be a reason Cornell didn’t play Jesus Christ Pose, Fell On Black Days, Wide Awake or anything from either Soundgarden’s Louder Than Love or Audioslave’s Revelations. As they say, always keep ‘em wanting more. Even after 2 ½ hours, he certainly has.

- Nick Snelling, Beat

Undercover.com.au

thanks to sophie for the photo

Chris Cornell Plays Melbourne

Chris Cornell returned to Melbourne to headline his last Australian show before jetting off to the States for a US tour.

There had been questions raised about the state of Cornell's voice (could he really still sing like he used to?), but in this two and a half hour show, any doubts were shot clear out of the water.

Opening with the mighty 'Let Me Drown', the opening track off his first band Soundgarden's legendary 'Superunknown', Cornell led his extremely excited band through what could only be described as the perfect set list for a Cornell fan.

A solo acoustic set in the middle of the show is usually where the audience runs out to take a leak, but as Cornell belted out 'Blow Up The Outside World' and 'Burden In My Hand' amongst others with only the help of an acoustic guitar, the audience remained transfixed.

Audioslave also were highlighted, although he stuck mainly to the singles. 'Show Me How To Live' followed the two opening Soundgarden numbers, meaning it was four songs in before he touched on his solo record.

Even Temple Of The Dog got a mention as he played the band's title track.

As if the set hadn't started off strong enough, an encore consisting of 'Black Hole Sun', an enormous sounding 'Loud Love' and a cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' left the audience stunned.

Such a set list left it difficult to remember that he does in fact have a new solo album to promote, but like it or lump it, the fans wanted to hear the classics and the fans got to hear the classics. (Let that be a lesson to bands who choose to lump it!)

So next time someone tells you Chris Cornell is past his prime, slap 'em in the face for me.

- Tim Cashmere, Undercover.com.au

FasterLouder.com.au

Chris Cornell @ Enmore

thanks to sarah miller for the photo - see more here

Way back in 1991, Chris Cornell assumed a ‘Jesus Christ Pose’, arms extended out to his side, bare-chested and long flowing hair, with the rapidly ascending grunge quartet Soundgarden. In 2007, he returned to Australian stages – minus his Soundgarden counterparts, long hair and bare chest – receiving the reception (and delivering the performance) of a fully fledged God.

A last minute notice by the show’s organisers informed that there would be no support act for this show. The overwhelming success of Cornell’s support slot with Linkin Park (go figure…) indicated that Chris could handle entertaining a hungry fanbase for over two hours on his own. They were oh so right! The man who steered the late 80s / early 90s grunge movement and has amassed over 12 albums in two decades left a sold out Forum Theatre in awe and admiration. Entering the venue half way through the classic Soundgarden single ‘Outshined’, his presence was immediately impacting. He was dressed in very casual loose black t-shirt and black skinny jeans, his hair a mop of short curls and his voice still strong, soulful and expressive. In fact, he still resembled the twenty something who last graced our stages some ten years ago.

thanks to veronica jane beasant for the photo

This time, though, he was with a new band. Any concerns that they would be just another backing band were quickly dispelled; they mastered the fiery energy and musical technique of ‘Outshined’ so well and went on to prove themselves as a fun, talented and professional group.

The softer tones of ‘No Such Thing’, from Cornell’s latest solo album Carry On, emphasised his vocal strength and depth and also the leaning towards less aggressive rock that Cornell has taken on his recent material. ‘Rusty Cage’ was one of a few true contenders for ‘highlight of the night’, Cornell travelling the entire stage while band played their hearts out to this grunge classic off 1991’s Badmotorfinger. The erratic lights mirrored the crashing drums, electronic guitars and the screaming Cornell. The crowd applause was massive. It was like seeing Soundgarden all over again. During ‘Spoonman’ drummer Jason delivered a spectacular, rhythmic drum solo under the spotlight of brilliant white lights, yet another feature of the night.

thanks to sophie for the photo

When Chris took to the stage with an acoustic guitar, the entire atmosphere calmed down. He announced: “I haven’t done this one for a while which means I’m gonna fuck it up” to which he received an overwhelming and encouraging applause. He launched into the lush and eerie ‘Blow Up The Outside World’ and captured the ballad’s intensity so well with only an acoustic guitar and his massive voice. This four song acoustic break, sandwiched between two sets of grungier tunes, concluded with Audioslave’s mellow ballad ‘Like A Stone’. Cornell ended the song by extending the microphone out to the crowd and getting them to sing the last four lines. “That was great,” he offered.

He left the stage and the band returned to begin an extended intro to ‘Cochise’. They made the stage their own and truly stepped up to the occasion with their roguish antics. The lead guitarist would belt out a Jimmy Page -reminiscent guitar solo in complete shirtless splendour then play back-to-back with fellow guitarist. On ‘Black Hole Sun’, he’d sway his guitar neck in the air in tune to the sweeping atmospherics of one of Soundgarden’s most commercially recognised hits.

thanks to amirah for the photo - see more here

When the band left the stage before the encore, the crowd began a stampeding demand for their return. They ended the show with a medley that channelled Zeppelin -inspired riffs and the dark calls of ‘now I know why you’ve been taken’ from ‘Slaves & Bulldozers’. Cornell emerged holding a US confederate flag [ahem - it was the Scottish national flag, the Saltire! - webmaster] aloft, then lay on the floor, soaking up the aura, while his band played on. After another amazing drum solo, Chris appeared topless, draped in the flag, singing a very loud ‘4th Of July’, thrusting the mic stand in the air in a show of triumph.

Chris Cornell played songs from all four musical projects in which he’s been involved, including Temple of the Dog’s ‘Pushin’ Forward Back’, but with a strong focus on Soundgarden. It’s easy to reflect and ask why he didn’t play other favourites from the extensive back catalogue but that would be unjust. Cornell – and band – delivered a truly memorable performance which more than abundantly catered for the old school Soundgarden fans and y’know, what more could one have asked for?

- Black Cat, fasterlouder.com.au

Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2007