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Audioslave show what they are made of in their début tour of small venues. ~By Caren Spitler
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| Rock 'N' Roll will never die
thanks to bands like Audioslave and the fans that follow them. Rock is
very much alive and coming at you through the amazing vocals of Chris
Cornell, Tom Morello's intense guitar artistry, Tim Commerford's clean
bass work, and Brad Wilk's dynamic drums. It's not rocket science just
honest and true "Rock."
If you've been living in a cave for the past year you may have missed Rock's resurrection through its new musical prophets. The remaining members of Rage Against the Machine (joined forces) with Ex-Soundgarden frontman and solo artist Chris Cornell to create Audioslave. To even phrase it that way takes credit away from the uniqueness of the project, because they aren't doing a rehashed version of anything that's come before them. This was the musical buzz felt around the world, born through the vision of producer and musical pioneer Rick Rubin. This band has been under the harsh light and judgmental pens of critics as well as flames of their own (would be) fan base since their inception. The fans have been right there waiting it out since day one, with opinions varying. The true fans laid in wait for their day. Audioslave honored them with a tour of smaller more intimate venues than a band of their already enormous stature would usually play. The 20 US dates sold out fast to rabid fans anxious to hear the band live for the first time. |
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Audioslave played a nearly flawless 90-minute set. Playing 12 out of the 14 songs on the album with a few well-chosen cover songs thrown in. The intensely charismatic Cornell is a forceful presence on the stage. A rock God who lays waste to microphone stands, bending them to his will in the throws of his sonic vocal storms. They shine live, the band and the songs come to life with extraordinary brilliance in the live shows. Tim's low end effectively rattles your soul as he builds the intensity of each song while remaining the picture of calm. The minimal but effective drums Brad laid down on the recording become more fervid and explosive, while Tom blows your mind, playing beyond the stratosphere in a league all his own, challenging any preconceived concept of what a guitar should sound like. And the best voice in Rock 'N' Roll cries out, reverberating through your bones into the heavens. |
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| The set included the current single of their platinum-selling album, "Like a Stone." By the time they get to this song the crowd is well under their spell, time hanging in suspended animation while Tom goes in to his signature solo; inspired and inventive, his guitar screaming murder. Anyone who doesn't quite get the Morello vibe falls in admiration, amazed at his abilities as he pulls off solo after blistering solo. Later Audioslave pays homage to Parliament/Funkadelic with "Super Stupid." The bombastic weighty groove of "Hypnotize" is much more effective live, proving again that they have more muscle as a live unit. Tim and Brad hold down a contagious rhythm, while Morello almost takes a back seat during this song until he begins to make love to his guitar in a one handed technique that sounds closer to a DJ on turntables than it does to a guitar. During the encore they preach the cause of the proletariat with a version of Rush's "Working Man." In one of the show-stopping moments, Chris comes out with his acoustic guitar for "I am the Highway." He plays the song about halfway through when the band joins in on the down beat before the chorus they fade back, allowing Cornell to end the song. The set ends as the band exits with a crushing cathartic climax of "Cochise." |  |
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| This isn't music that is going to save the world or even turn the industry upside-down but it's a far cry from any of the marginal pablum disguised as music that the masses eagerly gobble up. More evident in their live show than ever Audioslave is doing something on their own terms a little closer to rock of the past than traveling in the same sphere of influences as their contemporary musical peers. | |||
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© 2003 TheSceneLA.com
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