By Michael Baker
:: Chris Cornell
:: ASB Theatre, Auckland
:: October 4, 2011
What a voice.
That’s really the only thing your brain can muster after watching the Soundgarden frontman belt out two hours of vocal excellence.But it was more than his singing and guitar play that left many impressed.
One could expect an artist of his calibre to turn up and snob the crowd, act like a prim donna and, well, be an arsehole (Axl Rose anyone?).
But Cornell didn’t.
Just the opposite in fact; he appeared humbled and genuinely appreciative to be in front of the sell-out crowd.
It was a side of Cornell that many have never seen, but one that certainly was welcomed. Cracking jokes and retelling stories of his youth (“I’m f**king 47, I can’t remember everything”), one could easily be confused that they were at a comedy show when he paused between songs to spin a yarn with the crowd.
He was relaxed and accommodating, playing what the people wanted to hear – literally – taking requests and including them into the show. Fans were treated to classic Soundgarden hits ‘Black Hole Sun’, ‘Fell On Black Days’ and ‘Burden In My Hand’ as well as a few others from his solo career, like ‘Can’t Change Me’ and the Bond theme song ‘You Know My Name’ (which was accompanied with a great story about the Queen).
Cornell even braved new territory and performed an acoustic rendition of ‘Outshined’, something he admitted he had never done before, and slipped in covers of Pink Floyd’s ‘Comfortably Numb’ and his very own special ending to The Beatles’ ‘Ticket To Ride’.
By the end of the night the ladies were slipping off their seats and the fellas were questioning their manhood. Simply put, it was a masterful performance by one of the greatest rockers of all time.
Michael Baker is an editor at therock.net.nz, the website for New Zealand’s leading rock radio station.
source: newshub archive
