thanks to percy88 for the photo - see more here
Chris delighted Italian fans with Soundgarden classics like Fell On Black Days, Rusty Cage and Pretty Noose as well as a moving solo version of Wide Awake.
Spoonman - Outshined - Show Me How To Live - Like A Stone - Hunger Strike - You Know My Name - No Such Thing - Fell On Black Days - Cochise - Original Fire - Seasons - I Am The Highway - Scar On The Sky - Can't Change Me - Wide Awake - Doesn't Remind Me - Mission - Pretty Noose - Billie Jean - What You Are - Rusty Cage - Arms Around Your Love - Say Hello To Heaven - Black Hole Sun - Safe And Sound - Be Yourself - Slaves And Bulldozers
by cletocaster
"ragazzi, che concerto!!! ho saltato e urlato x tutta la durata del concerto... e avrei voluto che continuasse ancora x un bel po'... è mancata Jesus Christ Pose...."
by trudy
I became a fan after I had the wonderful experience of seeing him in Milano. My son and I had planned this once in a life-time vacation to Italy for my 50th birthday...yes I'm one of those geriatric fans!! Anyway, my son is a guitarist and song writer, and Chris has played a huge part in inspiring his passion for his art...he's really very good!
I had planned this trip of ours very carefully and a couple of weeks before we were to leave, my son asked me what we were planning on May 24th. We were supposed to be spending that last day in Rome before heading to Venice. He asked if it were possible to take a "small" detour to Milan to see Chris Cornell. I really hummed and hawed about it but I finally decided that we should do it. I found some tickets on line and changed our hotel bookings and train tickets and it was a go. Up to this point I really didn't know all that much about Chris and any of the bands he's been a part of. Of course I knew of his legendary reputation of being this "Rock God" and having the best voice in rock music. I'd heard "I Am The Highway" and "Black Hole Sun". I'd even given my boss the "Revelations" CD for Christmas, but other than that I just never really paid much attention. I was about to discover what I'd been missing out on all these years.
We arrived in Milan by train and it was hotter than Hades that day. We stayed a few blocks from the venue...Alcatraz and we had to scope out the place as soon as we checked into our room. When we got there at about 3:00pm there was a small group of people lined up and the merch people were just setting up outside. Grant bought a t-shirt and then we went back to the hotel to freshen up. Once we went back, we picked up our tickets at the will call window and then went for dinner. Huge catastrophe! Grant lost our tickets! He had set them down on the table and then we decided to move tables and he left the tickets there. By the time he realised what he had done, they were gone. I really thought he was going to cry. We looked everywhere and in our very limited Italian tried to explain what had happened to the restaurant staff. No one seemed to know anything. We were devastated as our only reason for being in Milan was to see Chris Cornell. I suggested that we run back to the venue to see if there were still tickets for sale, but just as we were about to leave, someone took pity on us and gave us back our tickets. They had them all along I guess! We were very pissed at the thought that they had lied at the beginning when we were in panic mode. Anyway, being the polite Canadians that we are, we just thanked them and left.
When we got back to the venue they had already started to let people in. We managed to get up pretty close to the front but everyone was sitting on the floor in a very loose, casual manner. I've been to a lot of concerts but I had never seen anything like that before! Just befor 9:00pm people started getting up and jockeying for postion. We ended up about 3 people from the front. It was great!!
Chris came on at a little after 9:00 and the rest is a bit of a fog. I was so blown away! The energy of the crowd was amazing and the energy on stage was even more so. I don't remember the set list since it's been a while now, but I think it's probably been posted way back when. All I can tell you is that I have never been so affected by a show in my life. Even though I had never heard most of the songs before, everyone of them blew me away.
Some highlights: Chris singing to Vicki during the acoustic set and trying to coax her onto the stage...she didn't come out but it was a very tender sweet moment. Hearing Jesus Christ Pose for the first time...holy smokes!! The elderly couple standing just beside us holding hands and rocking it out! Very cute. Black Hole Sun...cause it was a song I'd heard before. Watching the crowd when Chris was singing songs from Carry On. It hadn't been released yet so people didn't know what they were hearing. Billy Jean! Wow...! Experiencing this show with my son...we had such a great time together. He was my body guard when the body slamming started. It's pretty crazy that we had to go to Milan to see a man who basically grew up in our own back yard.
Oh ya, I should mention that....even though it's all about the music....it doesn't hurt that Chris is about the hottest man I've ever laid eyes on !!
Anyway, ever since we've been back I've been collecting as much of Chris's music as I can and I've become one of you somewhat obsessed fans! I can hardly wait until he comes to this part of the world again. I'm hoping for a Victoria (never gonna happen), Vancouver, or Seattle show sometime soon.
Chris Cornell live in Milano
thanks to percy88 for the photo - see more here
Cari accordiani, mi appresto a recensire il concerto tenuto all’Alcatraz di Milano da Chris Cornell lo scorso 24 maggio. Per chi non lo sapesse, Chris Cornell con i Soundgarden e col side project Temple of the dog, è stato uno dei maggiori esponenti della musica grunge tra la fine degli anni ’80 e i primi ‘90. Dopo lo scioglimento dei Soundgarden, ha prodotto un album solista caratterizzato da sonorità più (per qualcuno anche troppo) soft , successivamente, assieme ai componenti dei Rage against the machine, ha dato vita agli Audioslave tornando su sonorità hard perdendo (secondo me) quel pizzico di psichedelia e ricercatezza che ha caratterizzato i suoi lavori precedenti.
E’ la prima volta che lo vedo dal vivo e mi presento senza aver ascoltato il suo ultimo album, vuoi perché mi sento più legato ai Soundgarden, vuoi perché ormai ai concerti rock c’è sempre meno improvvisazione e un po’ di fattore sorpresa non guasta mai. Il concerto parte alla grande con SPOONMAN e OUTSHINED suonate (cosi come FELL ON BLACK DAYS e tutte le altre song a seguire) fedeli all’originale. La prima sorpresa è che Chris non suona la chitarra, bensì lascia tale compito ai suoi due chitarristi che creano un muro sonoro molto compatto e pesante. Entrambi si alternano negli assoli per lo più pentatonici, cambiano chitarra ogni 1 o 2 brani, e, nonostante con Chris ci sia poco spazio per i virtuosismi solistici, danno l’impressione di potersi esprimere a livelli tecnicamente ben più alti. La chitarra che più utilizzano è il Les Paul in tutti i vari finish, anche se l’honey burst sembra quello che più prediligono.
Ogni tanto (come in HUNGER STRIKE) compare un Les paul junior ed un imitazione di telecaster, oppure un simil Les paul semi hollow… La scenografia inesistente e il palco piccolo dell’Alcatraz lasciano intravvedere le rastrelliere colme di chitarre (il chitarrista sul lato di destra ne ha circa una ventina) alcune delle quali (es. una strato blu) non verranno neanche utilizzate. Chris si muove sul palco apparentemente senza gran trasporto, saltella, cammina, sorride, nel presentare i brani si esprime in un americano stretto e poco comprensibile, ha un look molto sobrio e pulito, ma la voce non la risparmia affatto. Dal primo all’ultimo brano emette i suoi tipici vocalizzi acuti e potenti. C’è anche spazio per i brani del suo ultimo LP, e per le song degli Audioslave (SHOW ME HOW TO LIVE, COCHISE ……..). Un'altra sorpresa, ma chi frequenta spesso i concerti se ne sarà già accorto, è che rispetto a 15/20 anni fa il volume sonoro emesso dagli impianti di amplificazione è molto più basso, il che consente di distinguere meglio i suoni ed evitare il fischio alle orecchie che persisteva anche 2 giorni dopo il concerto. La cosa negativa è che senti il tizio alle tue spalle che canta (ovviamente stonato) sovrastando la voce di Chris, e il vociferare del pubblico con relativi commenti inutili (adesso canterà questa canzone…. Questa non la conosco…..).
Con SEASONS, inizia la parentesi acustica; si scambia un tenero bacio con la moglie/manager a lato del palco (dopodiché ride anche lui rendendosi conto dell’eccessivo romanticismo), ed esegue qualche pezzo da solo con una chitarra acustica tra i quali CAN’T CHANGE ME. Rientra in scena il gruppo con brani abbastanza tranquilli quali MISSION e la reinterpretazione di BILLIE JEAN di M. Jackson, dopodichè con PRETTY NOOSE si ritorna al muro sonoro di inizio concerto. Vengono eseguiti altri pezzi nuovi, vi è il momento del pogo con RUSTY CAGE, per poi chiudere con BLACK HOLE SUN e dare inzio ai bis. Nel frattempo il bassista, forse perché si vergognava di farsi vedere sempre con lo stesso strumento, abbandona di tanto in tanto il suo fedele Musicman per sfoggiare un EB bass, un Epiphone semiacustico (due scelte molto freak), ed un Musicman 5 corde. L’unico sfigato è il batterista che ha dovuto suonare sempre con lo stesso drum set. Tra i vari bis vi è SAY HELLO TO HEAVEN e SLAVES & BULLDOZERS che se non ricordo male è quella che chiude definitivamente lo show. Che dire ? Non mi aspettavo niente di sorprendente, Chris musicalmente non è più all’avanguardia come prima, non ha più la trasgressione e l’adreanlina dei tempi di Jesus Christ pose, e nemmeno io sono così giovane da farmi coinvolgere facilmente….
E’ stato comunque un concerto onesto, ben cantato e suonato, è durato 2 ore e 20 min, e, cosa insolita, hanno iniziato a suonare puntuali alle 21:00.
reviewed at Accordo by sunit68
Doesn't Remind Me (video - thanks chosmiclatte)
You Know My Name (video -thanks sciarpi)
Seasons (video - thanks Sciarpi)
Be Yourself (video - thanks steghi78)
Can't Change Me (video - thanks chosmiclatte)
Hunger Strike (video - thanks steghi78)
See the Chris Cornell Concerts site for an audio recording of this show
Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2007
