Chris Cornell @ FestivalTheatre, Adelaide (13/10/2011)

Fri 14th Oct, 2011 in Gig Reviews

When someone like Chris Cornell announces a song book tour, you know it’s going to be a long night of music, as the man’s songbook would be huge. That is why the Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman was able to fill a two and a half hour set with ease. Opening the show was Beautiful Girls frontman Mat McHugh, who is basically Australia’s own little Jack Johnson. McHugh offered up some well perfomed stripped back and relaxed versions of Beautiful Girls tracks as well as some solo songs taken from his new EP Go Don’t Stop.

In the unlikely event that Chris Cornell’s musical career takes a turn for the worst he may be able to find an occupation for himself as a stand up comedian. The songwriter spent nearly as much time cracking jokes as playing, even opening the show with a casual stroll on stage and a five minute chat before revealing that he had no set list and didn’t know how to begin. This of course prompted the audience to yell out their requests which pretty much set the tone for the night with Cornell promising to play as many of them as he could.

A decision was finally made and the set began with Can’t Change Me the opening song and single from his debut solo record, 1999’s Euphoria Morning. This was followed by some super stripped Audioslave songs, Be Yourself and Wide Awake before the first of the Soundgarden numbers finally arrived with Fell On Black Days. Surrounded by a range of guitars, both acoustic and electric, Cornell never really deviated from the formula, letting his amazing voice, which is still as strong and accurate as ever, be the driving factor for the music.

The one time the guitars were given a rest was for a jazzy sing-a-long to a pre-recorded piano number, played on a vinyl record of course, which sat to the side of the “set” which was completed by a leather stool and a red telephone on a table which was never referred to, explained, or used.

The set highlights revolved around the Soundgarden numbers such as Blow Up The Outside World and Black Hole Sun with Cornell mentioning his excitement for the band’s return next year on the Big Day Out tour. The other standout moments included the folky version of Temple Of The Dog’s Hungerstrike and the range of covers that the singer made his own, including Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, a recorded version of which appears on his second solo album Carry On, AC/DC’s Problem Child and the set closer, a cover of The Beatles Ticket To Ride which ended the show with a wall of sound created by a loop station.

Cornell was extremely entertaining making the two and a half hour set fly by as he captivated the audience with his amazing vocal chords. The songbook was truly explored in great depth, however there was a distinct lack of songs from the record he did with Timbaland, but we don’t really need to mention that one now do we?