Chris Cornell Concert

I remember the devastation I felt when I first heard that Soundgarden had broken up. I felt cheated, as if the one thing that could truly bring me joy was taken away from me forever. I mourned the loss of the band as if it were the death of my closest friend. I knew that there would always be an empty place in my heart where the joy of Soundgarden used to reside. All I could do was find comfort in the wonderful music Soundgarden had left behind. At least that was forever, immortal. I also took comfort in knowing that it was probably not the last I would hear from the members of the band (I could hope, optimistically).

Not too much time went by before I heard that Chris Cornell was working on a song for the "Great Expectations" soundtrack. I was over the moon with joy. ‘Sun Shower’ was only a hint of what we could all expect from him in the future. I had feared that Chris Cornell would slip into obscurity in his own little, retreat never to be heard from again. Thankfully, he was still with us and still working. As endless months passed, I read articles detailing the anticipation of his forthcoming album. My excitement grew and I became anxious to hear more. Finally, the wait was over. Not only did I get a solo album from Chris, but he was also going to perform in my hometown on the day of the CD’s release. What more could a true fan wish for?

I walked high on cloud of anticipation for the week leading up to the concert. I religiously played and replayed my advance copy of the disk (granted to me by luck and the powers that be) for 48 hours before the show. I have to confess I was somewhat disappointed after my first two listening of the solo album; not because of what the album was, but for what it was not. I was still longing to recapture the feeling of Soundgarden. Stopping to truly listen, however, I realized that Chris had created a masterpiece that was all his own. Where it will never replace SG, it will stand strong for it’s majesty and depth; and who can deny that he has one of the greatest voices in the business? I fell in love with Euphoria Morning and fell in love with Chris all over again. I was truly prepared to see Cornell live.

I arrived early at the small, but quaint, Hollywood venue. I didn’t want to miss one second of this experience. I was hyper-aware of everything, down to the smallest minutia, and soaked it all in. Looking around to "people watch" I noticed that CC fans were comprised of a small minority of women. For whatever reason, male attendance was high for this concert. I found that surprising considering, Cornell’s undeniable good looks. I took my seat and waited for the concert to begin. I am not sure how long I sat there before he went on, but even a couple of minutes would have seemed too long at this point.

Chris took the stage at approximately 9:20 and started with the song that gave us our first sweet taste of the solo Cornell experience, ‘Sun Shower’ from the Great Expectations soundtrack. From the opening breath from his lungs, he totally owned the crowd. He sounded great, in spite of the fact that he did look a bit uptight from the photographers pushing up against the stage to get the perfect shot (during the first two songs of the opening night only).

Any reservations I may have had regarding Euphoria Morning as an album were washed away as Chris’ voice poured full force over me. I looked down at him from the balcony in amazement that so much sound could come from one person. He worked his vocal magic like never before, at times there were glimpses of days of old where he sounded like the Chris we all knew from SG. He would unleash his signature soul cry, yet it was even better, sweeter, more refined. Yes, musically comparing Chris Cornell as a solo artist to Soundgarden is like comparing apples and oranges, but vocally he is the same, only punched up a few dozen notches. I think even the most critical SG fan had to come out of the theater with respect and admiration for the quality and beauty of his voice.

Chris and his current touring band (which included his friends from the band Eleven) played for just over an hour. We heard most of the songs from Euphoria Morning, and being loyal to his fans, he pleased the crowd by playing a few old tunes. ‘All Night Thing,’ by Temple of the Dog, had the audience going nuts from the first chord played. They also gave us ‘Seasons’ from the Singles soundtrack, and even threw us one Soundgarden song. I all but cried when I heard the sweet strains of one of my favorite songs from Superunknown, ‘Like Suicide.’

Giving fantastic support to the singer, the band played on top form, as well. I really enjoyed hearing Alain Johnnes and Natasha Shneider play. They are excellent musicians. Natasha has a pretty good voice on her, and it is a real kick to watch her navigate that huge mothership of a keyboard that she plays. She totally gets into it in a big way! One of the highlights for me was hearing the band play on ‘Pillow of Your Bones,’ one of my personal favorites from EM. I love the back-up vocals; Johannes and Shneider sound great in that song. Gregg Upchurch, also from the band Eleven, does a highly cool drum break in that song as well. When they played the song ‘Moonchild,’ Chris dedicated the song to his wife, Susan Silver. Every song brought me to a higher intensity than I would have thought possible from hearing the recorded version. It was simply mind blowing!

For the last song of the encore, Chris sang, ‘Steel Rain,’ the ending track from his album. WOW! He really pours his soul out in that song. His voice was just devastating ! I was in heaven that evening, and I will always remember him ending the show with ‘Steel Rain.’ Chris closed with a fitting finale as everyone there felt the rapture and the power of his music!!!


	Mr. Chris Cornell - Rock God		CHRIS CORNELL BRINGS EUPHORIA TO L.A. By Caren Spitler For two ethereal evenings, On Sept. 21st and 22nd, Chris Cornell played one of LA’s more intimate concert venues, the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. The singer played both nights with the small location at capacity, each and every seat filled with Soundgarden and Cornell fans, and myself included. Our long wait was at its end, and Chris would reign as our musical savior. Those two nights he delivered simply awesome performances. I remember the devastation I felt when I first heard that Soundgarden had broken up. I felt cheated, as if the one thing that could truly bring me joy was taken away from me forever. I mourned the loss of the band as if it were the death of my closest friend. I knew that there would always be an empty place in my heart where the joy of Soundgarden used to reside. All I could do was find comfort in the wonderful music Soundgarden had left behind. At least that was forever, immortal. I also took comfort in knowing that it was probably not the last I would hear from the members of the band (I could hope, optimistically). Not too much time went by before I heard that Chris Cornell was working on a song for the "Great Expectations" soundtrack. I was over the moon with joy. ‘Sun Shower’ was only a hint of what we could all expect from him in the future. I had feared that Chris Cornell would slip into obscurity in his own little, retreat never to be heard from again. Thankfully, he was still with us and still working. As endless months passed, I read articles detailing the anticipation of his forthcoming album. My excitement grew and I became anxious to hear more. Finally, the wait was over. Not only did I get a solo album from Chris, but he was also going to perform in my hometown on the day of the CD’s release. What more could a true fan wish for? I walked high on cloud of anticipation for the week leading up to the concert. I religiously played and replayed my advance copy of the disk (granted to me by luck and the powers that be) for 48 hours before the show. I have to confess I was somewhat disappointed after my first two listening of the solo album; not because of what the album was, but for what it was not. I was still longing to recapture the feeling of Soundgarden. Stopping to truly listen, however, I realized that Chris had created a masterpiece that was all his own. Where it will never replace SG, it will stand strong for it’s majesty and depth; and who can deny that he has one of the greatest voices in the business? I fell in love with Euphoria Morning and fell in love with Chris all over again. I was truly prepared to see Cornell live. I arrived early at the small, but quaint, Hollywood venue. I didn’t want to miss one second of this experience. I was hyper-aware of everything, down to the smallest minutia, and soaked it all in. Looking around to "people watch" I noticed that CC fans were comprised of a small minority of women. For whatever reason, male attendance was high for this concert. I found that surprising considering, Cornell’s undeniable good looks. I took my seat and waited for the concert to begin. I am not sure how long I sat there before he went on, but even a couple of minutes would have seemed too long at this point. Chris took the stage at approximately 9:20 and started with the song that gave us our first sweet taste of the solo Cornell experience, ‘Sun Shower’ from the Great Expectations soundtrack. From the opening breath from his lungs, he totally owned the crowd. He sounded great, in spite of the fact that he did look a bit uptight from the photographers pushing up against the stage to get the perfect shot (during the first two songs of the opening night only). Any reservations I may have had regarding Euphoria Morning as an album were washed away as Chris’ voice poured full force over me. I looked down at him from the balcony in amazement that so much sound could come from one person. He worked his vocal magic like never before, at times there were glimpses of days of old where he sounded like the Chris we all knew from SG. He would unleash his signature soul cry, yet it was even better, sweeter, more refined. Yes, musically comparing Chris Cornell as a solo artist to Soundgarden is like comparing apples and oranges, but vocally he is the same, only punched up a few dozen notches. I think even the most critical SG fan had to come out of the theater with respect and admiration for the quality and beauty of his voice. Chris and his current touring band (which included his friends from the band Eleven) played for just over an hour. We heard most of the songs from Euphoria Morning, and being loyal to his fans, he pleased the crowd by playing a few old tunes. ‘All Night Thing,’ by Temple of the Dog, had the audience going nuts from the first chord played. They also gave us ‘Seasons’ from the Singles soundtrack, and even threw us one Soundgarden song. I all but cried when I heard the sweet strains of one of my favorite songs from Superunknown, ‘Like Suicide.’ Giving fantastic support to the singer, the band played on top form, as well. I really enjoyed hearing Alain Johnnes and Natasha Shneider play. They are excellent musicians. Natasha has a pretty good voice on her, and it is a real kick to watch her navigate that huge mothership of a keyboard that she plays. She totally gets into it in a big way! One of the highlights for me was hearing the band play on ‘Pillow of Your Bones,’ one of my personal favorites from EM. I love the back-up vocals; Johannes and Shneider sound great in that song. Gregg Upchurch, also from the band Eleven, does a highly cool drum break in that song as well. When they played the song ‘Moonchild,’ Chris dedicated the song to his wife, Susan Silver. Every song brought me to a higher intensity than I would have thought possible from hearing the recorded version. It was simply mind blowing! For the last song of the encore, Chris sang, ‘Steel Rain,’ the ending track from his album. WOW! He really pours his soul out in that song. His voice was just devastating ! I was in heaven that evening, and I will always remember him ending the show with ‘Steel Rain.’ Chris closed with a fitting finale as everyone there felt the rapture and the power of his music!!!