Celebrities (Male)   Male film actors   Roger Daltrey  

Chris Cornell : Celebrity Theater, Phoenix, AZ 5/1/07

Chris Cornell : Celebrity Theater, Phoenix, AZ 5/1/07
Sammy King  |  by www.glidemagazine.com. All rights reserved. 17.07 | 13:12

You gotta wonder how many guys have admitted - ldquo;I rsquo;d give my left nut to sing like Chris Cornell. rdquo;

The former Soundgarden/Audio Slave front-man turned solo artist holds a Rock-God voice that ranks up with Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, Axl Rose and Roger Daltrey. Touring in support of his forthcoming second solo CD, Carry On ( June 5), Cornell played an intimate show at the Celebrity Theater, comprised of songs from three bands, two solo albums and a few special rarities.



Featuring a back-up band of hired guns, Cornell joked: unlike my previous bands, ldquo;these guys aren rsquo;t afraid of girls. rdquo; However, the performance was billed as an ldquo;Evening with Chris Cornell rdquo; and people had paid to hear ldquo;the voice, rdquo; and ldquo;the voice rdquo; delivered. It delivered to the point that it didn rsquo;t matter that there were no Kim Thayil or Tom Morello guitar riffs and solos.



Appearing happy, slim and youthful, Cornell (42) appeared at least ten years younger, enthusiastically high-fiving the crowd between songs. Opening with Spoonman, rdquo; Cornell, in his signature high register sang, ldquo;feel the rhythm with your hands/steal the rhythm while you can. rdquo; Following with Soundgarden rsquo;s 1992 breakthrough hit ldquo;Outshined, rdquo; Cornell appeared enthralled as he and the crowd sang- ldquo;I rsquo;m looking California and feeling Minnesota.

rdquo;

However, it was the Audioslave compositions that made for the brightest moments of the evening, as Cornell proved that no mater how much corporate radio air-time Audioslave received, there rsquo;s no denying the power of these anthems. ldquo;Be Yourself, rdquo; ldquo;What You Are, ldquo;Doesn rsquo;t Remind Me, rdquo; ldquo;Like a Stone rdquo; and a moving acoustic versions of ldquo;I Am the Highway, rdquo; proved that Cornell rsquo;s recent Audioslave split has nothing to do with any distaste for the music. ldquo;Like a Stone, rdquo; featured a Cornell and crowd sing-along, and the personal ldquo;I Am the Highway was goose-bump worthy.

And for those pop traditionalists, a reinvented stripped down smoky version of Michael Jackson rsquo;s ldquo;Billie Jean, rdquo; proved even an 80 rsquo;s dance/rock theme can be made singer-songwriter legit. Along with ldquo;Billie Jean, rdquo; there were four other new songs performed from Carry On, ( ldquo;No Such Thing, rdquo; ldquo;Arms Around Your Love, rdquo; ldquo;Scar on the Sky, rdquo; ldquo;Your Soul Today rdquo;) that although mellower in nature, they showed promise as convincing rockers.

Cornell also revisited the hey-day of the grunge era with ldquo;Seasons, rdquo; from the Singles soundtrack and ldquo;Hunger Strike, rdquo; from Temple of the Dog.

However, it was the high note Soundgarden closer- Slaves and Bulldozers, rdquo; where everybody soaked in the front-man rsquo;s jaw-dropping range, as he hollered, ldquo;Now I know why you rsquo;ve been shaking/So bleed you heart out/there rsquo;s no more rides for free. rdquo;

There rsquo;s no doubt a stellar solo career for Chris Cornell is in the wings; something most lead-singers, like that guy in Fall Out Boy, would give his left nut for.

Read more on by www.glidemagazine.com. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Chris Cornell, a Stone, Ldquo a Stone, Ldquo a, You Are, Celebrity Theater, Soul Today, Ldquo Am, Such Thing, Ldquo Jean
Related news
Post comments
Name
Place
1 + 1 =
Comments