Chris Cornell Entertainment Art The Metro Chicago, Ill. April 11, 2007

Given the fact that it was sold out the venue did not seem all that horribly tight or packed with people. Everyone I talked to from the people in line or the groups I met inside I got one basic impression, everyone considered themselves a hardcore fan of Soundgarden, Audioslave or all of the above. One thing was for certain they came here to see and hear the voice of both of those bands, the incredible vocal cords of Chris Cornell.

I managed to get a front row spot next to a college aged guy who obviously seemed to worship Cornell. As soon as the band started playing he began saying things like “I don’t believe this!” and “His singing is so good it’s melting my face.” I have heard that said about solid musical legends like Led Zepplin and the Rolling Stones who are established rock icons but never about someone who, by musical standards, is still fairly recent and making a name for themselves.

Cornell seemed to attract a crowd made up of virtually every age and background. I spent most of my time talking to a couple in their late 20’s while next to them were a pair of kids who wouldn’t have been any older then 18. Looking into the crowd I spotted a couple of baby boomers who seemed to be enjoying everything but the head banging parts of the show.

The band started with the fantastic opener “No Such Thing” which got an already excited crowd riled up and ready for more. Right up front it was clear that Cornell is not your normal ego obsessed rock star. Multiple times throughout the show he would tell the audience that it was his band that deserved a lot of the credit for his success and that he is lucky to be with them. Cornell seemed extremely comfortable not only on stage but with the audience. I got the impression that even through all his fame and success the show he performed at The Metro is probably the same show he would have performed at the beginning of his career. He was very honest and real with the crowd and his band.

The guitarists were defiantly well versed and loved playing it up for the crowd. I noticed a strong Ron Wood/Keith Richards dynamic between the bassist and guitar player and there seemed to be a bit of a conversation going on between them throughout the whole show.

After an amazing opener he went right into Audioslave’s pop hit “Original Fire” which sent the crowd jumping and dancing. It has always been a really catchy tune from Audioslave’s last and underrated album and in a crowd that worshiped the band there wasn’t a head in there that wasn’t singing along with the tune.

I admit that I am not as familiar with Cornell as I probably should have been going into that concert. Most of his classics I knew right away and there was more then one occasion, as in the case of “You Know My Name” (the theme from the recent James Bond movie Casino Royale) that I was surprised he was the artist. There was defiantly a major thrill in hearing his second encore number, the much awaited “Black Hole Sun” live, a song I grew up on.

Cornell seems to have the unique ability to change styles quite a lot and that works very much in his favor. Covering both fast and slow songs and even a very country sounding acoustic number “Seasons” was always just the right thing at just the right time. Most of the crowd was already starting to sweat pretty heavily from cheering and head banging by the time he played the Soundgarden anthem, “Outshined”.

One of the best surprises of the night came from his reinvented cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. Through the filter of Cornell the song has a much sadder more intense feeling to it rather then the more upbeat Jackson version. Like almost all of Cornell’s music there was a solid balance of both fast and slow rock prevalent throughout the song.

On the whole the show was extremely enjoyable and left me feeling like I had just had a really good workout. The acoustics of the Metro compliment both the audience and the musicians so not only could I hear everything being played clearly but my ears weren’t ringing too horribly by the end of the night. I look forward to going back and hope that this is not the only Chicago stop for Cornell on this tour.

Comments

Warriorwoman Written by Guest on 2007-04-17 16:04:25 FINALLY! A more than decent review from Chicago. Thank you for this!    The Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune blasted Chris Cornell They apparently were never REALLY at the concert or are tone deaf.    The concert was absolutely phenominal !!!!!!

ROCK GOD!! Written by Guest on 2007-04-17 16:25:14 I agree and what a great set as well. Playing everything from his first solo song to Soundgarden and even a nice helping of Audioslave...plus his band - wow! How could you not enjoy that intimate show????? Thanks Lumino!

Jill Written by Guest on 2007-04-17 16:57:02 I was at the show with Warriorwoman. We agree 100% that this man's voice is legendary and can melt a face with a single note.

Written by Guest on 2007-04-17 17:09:15 I think I must have been one of the kids who couldn't have been any older than 18. My friend and I are 17, and the show was excellent

great show Written by Guest on 2007-04-17 19:05:08 I was at the show and his voice was perfect...I however think the youngest kid was in the show because I brought my son who is a big Audioslave fan and he is only 11yrs old...but the show was for all ages...and for all kinds of rockers!!!

indeed Written by Guest on 2007-04-17 21:56:07 I came from Cols. OH, and I was not disappointed. I have amassed the entirety of Cornell's work , and I was beyond happy with this show. What an amazing set and beautiful voice.

uh oh Written by Guest on 2007-04-17 21:59:14 I am pretty sure I was that "college guy"...And I do kind of worship him...

Nice review! Written by Guest on 2007-04-17 22:09:15 Thank you for actually getting Cornell and his fans. There is nothing more annoying than reading those other reviews mentioned above and knowing that the reviewers just don't get it.. and I am still wondering if they were listening from outside the building. They were definitely not hearing the same thing I was!   ~mommyrocker~

Encore! Encore!!!! Written by Guest on 2007-04-17 22:40:31 Chris put on an invincible show!...his pipes never let down!...and he covered all over the spectrum w/ tracks from SG/TOD/Audioslave and his solo recordings...can't wait to get my hands on 'Carry On'...the next album, Be on the lookout!!!!...  Diehardfanf

??? Written by Guest on 2007-04-18 20:47:26 Yea Chris Cornell is an amazing singer i still havent found out what happened with AudioSlave. How about yall? I dont this his new band can bring the same amount of rock to the table as Tom Morrelo (ratm guitarist) or the whole rage crew.

The king Written by Guest on 2007-04-19 11:55:18 This is probably one of the best shows he has done since the soundgarden days. Truly amazing!    -Gary Novaki

Can't wait Written by Guest on 2007-04-21 00:15:37 My wonderful boyfriend of 9 years knows how much of a fan I have been of Chris Cornell and his incredible voice, lyrics, style, etc. since 1987...and bought us tix to the show at the Asoria in the UK. (We live in Maui and are going to be paying for this trip for years) but I CAN'T WAIT. Especially after reading this review. We would not travel all the way around the world for anyone else, that's for sure!!!! Thanks again for making me look forward to the show even more!     Jen

seasons Written by Guest on 2007-04-21 10:30:28 He played Seasons? Wow - I love that song and its from such a long time ago, I never thought I'd ever get the chane to see it live.  Who's in the band?

Awesome review Written by Guest on 2007-04-22 17:10:38 Fantastic writing style, I luved it! You put Chris in such an amazing light.

Perfect Written by Guest on 2007-04-23 01:00:22   This was one of the greatest shows I have worked in8 years at Metro! He was awesome.

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bEFORE Written by Guest on 2008-09-10 12:39:18 Before this article I didn't know who this artist was.    Great Job      www.industrybuzzz.com  THE PLACE WHERE YOUR VISION EXPANDS!

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