Chris Cornell, 11/1/11

Chris Cornell | Minglewood Hall
Memphis, TN | November 1, 2011

I was taken back to my teenage years when Chris Cornell arrived in Memphis on November 1 to kick off his Songbook tour. Unfortunately, along with an arsenal of guitars, Jeff Buckley’s red phone and a turntable, he was toting an obvious case of laryngitis.  We got lucky, though, because the next night’s show in Nashville got cancelled.

Few voices have come across the radio waves in the last few decades that are as recognizable as Cornell’s baritone, and the Songbook tour showcases it first and foremost. Even with the ailment, over the two-plus hours that he was on stage, Cornell covered all eras of his career, and then some.

While his solo and Audioslave stuff was good, the Soundgarden and Temple of the Dog tunes had the thousand-plus bodies in the room out of their seats. “Fell On Black Days” was met with rowdy cheers, and “Hunger Strike” turned into a huge sing-a-long. It was a powerful thing to behold: the driving vocal force behind such huge hits stripped down to the music’s essence – a lone voice and an acoustic guitar. He also played some great covers, including Zeppelin’s “Thank You” and a stellar take on the Beatles’ “A Day In The Life.”

It’s just a shame that his voice wasn’t in top form, because a good show would have been a great one.

Set: Peace Love & Understanding, Can’t Change Me, As Hope and Promise Fade, Ground Zero, Be Yourself, Wide Awake, Fell on Black Days, Call Me a Dog, Hunger Strike, Wooden Jesus, Seasons, Thank You, Long as I Can See the Light, When I’m Down, I am the Highway, Sunshower, Like a Stone, Doesn’t Remind Me, A Day in the Life

Encore: Mind Riot, House Where Nobody Lives, Thunder Road, Black Hole Sun, Say Hello to Heaven, Imagine

Gear used: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS