SOUNDGARDEN IN NEWARK - BETTER THAN EVER!

First off, I have to thank Jeff Garden for reaching out and offering to let me use his photos.  Follow him on Twitter. Jeff captured some really cool pictures.

About two months ago, I asked "Do You Really Want To See Soundgarden Live?" It was a review of their recently released Live On I-9 collection, made up of recordings from their final tour. I saw them twice during that era - both times on the Lollapalooza tour. Their album, Down On The Upside, was my favorite LP of the year.  But seeing them live was a total disappointment and Metallica smoked them both times. I didn't know it at the time, but Soundgarden was hurtling swiftly towards breaking up. A few years earlier, I saw them on the Superunknown tour at the Armory in New York City, which was one of the worst gigs I'd ever seen. Of course, I'd seen some good shows too - notably when they opened for Neil Young and, before that, when they opened for Voivod.

In recent years, I've seen drummer Matt Cameron with Pearl Jam, and he's always tremendous (as he always was with Soundgarden).  I've also seen Chris Cornell, both with Audioslave and on solo tours. Those shows were better than most of the Soundgarden shows I'd seen. More importantly, Chris' voice held up incredibly well at those shows, which was sometimes a problem during the Soundgarden days (you can hear it on Live On I-9).  But that's all in the past: it was his recent solo acoustic show that convinced me that I had to see Soundgarden on this reunion tour.

It may be blasphemous, but I'll say it.  I think Soundgarden is a better live band now than in the '90s.  Everyone seems pretty clean, and also, I think the guys in the band appreciate their position now, where in the '90s, there seemed to be a bit of embarrassment involved in being part of a huge band. Ben Shepherd in particular seemed to hate playing in front of large audiences (which is odd, as he joined the band after Louder Than Love, when they were already on a major label).

The concert in Newark, at the Prudential Center, was incredible.  Chris sounded great.  Guitarist Kim Thayil is still an evil genius: he is the scariest sounding guitarist this side of Tony Iommi. Matt was amazing of course. And Ben didn't seem to mind playing to a huge crowd, his bass playing was enthused and menacing.   The setlist was almost all from 1989's Louder Than Love, 1991's Badmotorfinger and 1994's Superunknown. They played one song from their 1988 SST album Ultramega OK ("Beyond The Wheel," I would have loved to hear "All Your Lies"), nothing from their SubPop era, and only two songs from their final album, 1996's Down On The Upside.

They opened with a song I was really hoping to hear: Badmotorfinger's "Searching With My Good Eye Closed." It was a great way to start, it is one of their best, even though it never was a radio hit.  Not that they ignored the hits: they went right into "Spoonman" (they also played "My Wave," "Outshined," "Rusty Cage," "Burden In My Hand," "Black Hole Sun," "Fell On Black Days" and "Blow Up The Outside World").  But they eschewed some of their more well known songs for lesser known ones, which was a nice touch (although I was bummed that they didn't play "Let Me Drown," one of my favorites). They did pulverizing versions of some of their heaviest songs, like "Hands All Over," "Superunknown," "Room A Thousand Years Wide" and their most underrated tune, "Slaves and Bulldozers." But the thing that Chris' solo tour spotlighted is that he's also a great ballad singer, and that was happening in full effect with  "The Day I Tried To Live," "Burden," "4th of July," "Black Days" and "Like Suicide," they were all incredibly soulful.

They also played "Black Rain," their "new" song from last year's career spanning collection Telephantasm, (a song I thought was kind of eh, it's an outtake from Badmotorfinger, and deserved to be an outtake). Chris mentioned that they are working on a new album, and at this point, I'm really looking forward to hearing it.  Although I haven't loved too many of Chris' songs on his post-Audioslave solo albums, I thought part of the problem was that he didn't have a Kim Thayil with him, calling him on it when he's writing beneath his abilities.  Meanwhile, Matt has developed as a songwriter with Pearl Jam (writing or co-writing "Evacuation," "You Are," "Unemployable" and "The Fixer").  Kim has been in semi-retirement, I'm sure he has some great riffs built up after all these years.  You always have to manage your expectations, but I am definitely optimistic about one of my favorite bands ever re-activating. I hope to see and hear more of Soundgarden in 2012!

(P.S. I got there too late to see the openers, Coheed & Cambria, but if you saw them, please tell me how they were in the comments).

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE SOUNDGARDEN LIVE?

I've been listening to Soundgarden's newly released Live on I-5 lately.  It's a collection of performances from their final tour from 1996.

I'd seen Soundgarden a number of times, starting with their Louder Than Love tour in 1990 (they were opening for Voivod, and Faith No More was first on the bill). That was probably the best Soundgarden performance I'd ever seen. I saw them open for Neil Young, Guns N Roses and headlining shows as well. I saw them on the Superunknown tour playing the New York Armory, one of the worst shows I've ever seen, mostly because it was the worst sounding venue I've ever been to.

On their last tour, also in '96, I saw them twice on Lollapalooza. They were touring for their last album, Down On The Upside, which I loved. But they just weren't that good. Ben Shepherd was looking like he'd rather be anywhere rather than playing to tens of thousands of people a night. And Chris Cornell's voice was sounding pretty awful. On record, especially on Superunknown and Down On The Upside, his vocals were incredible. Listening to him live, he was straining.  Those shows were a few months before the ones recorded here.

So, QUESTION 1: Would this really be a "live" album, or would Chris go in and doctor his vocals. Peter Gabriel did this on live recordings on the Genesis box set Archive 1967-1975, but his voice was so different all those years later, it was obvious that he'd done it, and it pissed fans off.

ANSWER: I am fairly sure that no 2011 doctoring was done. Listen to "Searching With My Good Eye Closed," he is straining, big time. His vocals on the studio version is, like, superheroic.  Live, he just couldn't cut it. He sounds similarly messy (and not in a good way) on lots of other songs.  I would love to get a live Soundgarden album from the late '80s or earlier '90s.

That leads me to my second question: given that this was the last time Chris sang many of these songs with a rock band (although he has done lots of Soundgarden with Audioslave and on his solo tours)... is this live album a terrible advertisement for their upcoming tour (many of the dates were announced earlier today)?

MY ANSWER: on its own, this live album doesn't really make a great argument to see the same band, 15 years later. We know Matt Cameron is still an amazing drummer, due to his many of years with Pearl Jam (he still is in Pearl Jam, BTW). Kim Thayil has seemed to be semi-retired since Soundgarden packed it up, but I bet he hasn't lost his serrated edge on guitar. I wonder about Ben Shepherd.  Back when he was younger, as is the case with lots of the bands of that era, he had an attitude about playing to large crowds.  All these years later, lots of those guys have had to return to their day jobs.  There have been stories that Ben wasn't in great financial shape (he clarified a bit after one magazine's sensationalistic take on his situation), I wonder if he will appreciate his good fortune now. But Chris Cornell would be the real question mark.

And you know my take on that: I saw Chris do a stunning solo acoustic show a few weeks ago, it was truly incredible. And while there is a big difference between doing a solo acoustic show and playing with Soundgarden, I think his is clean, clear and ready to rock.

So my final answer: I'm getting tickets.  I think you should also.

SOUNDGARDEN ON SPIN

Soundgarden is on the cover of the new issue of Spin. I remember years ago Spin put them on the cover with the snarky headline "Soundgarden Kills Grunge Dead." I always got the impression that Spin didn't quite approve of them: they were a bit too manly, a little too tough seeming, and Chris Cornell was a bit too "rock god." They were probably much more comfortable with Nirvana (and even moreso with Mudhoney and Dinosaur Jr.). It's weird to see them on the cover again, but I'm glad to see it.  Spin has gotten some bad press for the story's slant. They refer to bassist Ben Shepherd as being "homeless," when what he really said is that he moved out of his house that he shared with his girlfriend. He seemed more "in-between" homes than "homeless," but you know how the media likes to play this stuff! He actually responded to this on Soundgarden's new website.

Other interesting things about the story were that the band claimed that Chris Cornell's tweet announcing that "school was back in session" referred to the fact that the band were planning on reactivating thier fan club and the band was going to have an online presence, not that they were actually reuniting. Also, that the band has to work around Matt Cameron's schedule with Pearl Jam. The band's ex-manager (and Chris Cornell's ex-wife) Susan Silver, who still manages Alice In Chains, was interviewed as well, which made it seem like more than the usual puff piece.  The article hints that at least one member really could use the money (Shepherd, he kind of says it himself), and Silver points out that Cornell wanted the reunion because his solo career wasn't going anywhere. Yes, she's his ex-wife, and they had a bitter divorce, but it's a tough point to contest. But at least they're not Stone Temple Pilots - who Matt Cameron kind of made fun of towards the end of the article ("They're just painful.")

The article kind of asks, as I have on twitter, why the band have made very few announcements - two club gigs and Lollapalooza, but no tour. That's really what I want to know, when can I see the band! It's hard to imagine that this will be something that results in new music although Cornell seems to toy with the idea of recording just one new song. And it's hard to imagine that music would approach the greatness of Soundgarden. I don't think they need to record new music - Chris is in a different place now.  I just would love to see them one more time.  My favorite Soundgarden show was from maybe 1990, it was Voivod, Soundgarden and Faith No More, Soundgarden were promoting Louder Than Love, they had something to prove and they were incredible. It was the original lineup, with bassist Hiro Yamamoto. After that, I saw them at Lollapalooza, with Guns N Roses, and with Neil Young (and a headlining show at The Armory in New York City which may have been one of the worst concerts I've ever seen, mainly thanks to the venue). But they were never as good as that first time. Maybe some members fell too hard into drugs.  But I think this time around, it could be the best Soundgarden show ever.  That's what I'm hoping for, anyway.

SOUNDGARDEN RETURN TO THE STAGE

On Friday night at the Showbox in Seattle, Soundgarden returned to the stage for the first time since 1998.  Rolling Stone has the setlist - it seems like it was a great show, with songs from their entire career, from their debut SubPop single "Hunted Down" to songs from their final album, the classic Down On The Upside. I can not wait to see this show. I feel like some people in the media are being dismissive of this tour, and also Faith No More's. But then again, the media seems excited about Pavement's reunion.  Talk about revenge of the nerds! Sorry, that was mean.

But anyway, I've seen Chris Cornell over the years in Soundgarden, Audioslave and on a solo tour. The last time I saw him, he was solo, and it was the best performance I'd ever seen from him (with the possible exception of a 1989 Voivod/Soundgarden/Faith No More concert). He was clean, and healthy, and it was awesome. Matt Cameron is amazing, of course, I've seen him in Pearl Jam many times over the years, including a marathon show on Halloween. I'm sure Kim Thayil is still an awesome guitarist, and hopefully Ben Shepherd has lost the attitude: out of all of them, he really seemed to dislike playing to large audiences the most. Well, I am totally psyched to see this show.

SOUNDGARDEN: BACK IN 2010 (*NOT* A RUMOR!)

Over the summer, there were lots of rumors of a Soundgarden reunion. Kim Thayil went to one of Chris Cornell's concerts. And Kim, Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron (along with Tad Doyle of Tad and Cornell's former Audioslave bandmate Tom Morello) did a three song set of Soundgarden songs on the Seattle date of Morello's Justice Tour.

But last night, Chris Cornell tweeted that "The 12 year break is over & school is back in session," and provided a link to the band's new website.

There's no other details that I know of, but I can't wait to see them live. They were actually not a great live band, especially towards the end, but the last time I saw Chris Cornell, a few summers ago, it was the best performance I'd ever seen by him. Clean and sober suits him, and I have high  hopes that Soundgarden in 2010 will be a powerful live experience. I wonder how this affects Matt Cameron's status in Pearl Jam.

HOLY CRAP: PEARL JAM'S GUEST LIST

Pearl Jam don't really need special guests joining them onstage, they are powerful enough on thier own. That said, they've recently had some pretty awesome special guests. Ben Harper has been opening for them lately, and joining them every night for "Red Mosquito," from No Code. At Austin City Limits, Perry Farrell joined them for Jane's Addiction 's "Mountain Song." Jerry Cantrell has joined them recently for "Alive" and The MC5 's "Kick Out The Jams." But the other night in LA, Chris Cornell joined them for the Temple Of The Dog classic "Hunger Strike." Wow. What's more is that, supposedly, Soundgarden 's Kim Thayil and Ben Shepherd were backstage, and they hung with Chris and Matt Cameron after the show. WOW. Earlier this year, 75% of Soundgarden reunited, but I think this is the first time the four of them have been together since the band broke up. It would be great to see them together again, although I doubt it would be a full-time thing. I wonder if Matt Cameron could balance being in both Pearl Jam and Soundgarden?

MORE SOUNDGARDEN STUFF

A while ago, I wrote about how Chris Cornell was talking about a Soundgarden box set. Kim Thayil talked to Rolling Stone about the same thing - and the possibility of a reunion.

KIM THAYIL WENT TO CHRIS CORNELL'S SHOW

Yeah, the other night Chris Cornell played Seattle, and tweeted that Kim Thayil showed up (although, sadly, didn't jam with Chris). I found this picture at Blabbermouth. Of course, Kim recently did get his Soundgarden on when he played a few tunes with Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron along with Tad Doyle of Tad at Tom Morello's Seattle stop on his Justice tour. I wonder what this will lead to...

MIND-BLOWING SHOW ALERT (or, "these guys must have had some interesting conversations about Chris Cornell")

Before taking his new band Street Sweeper on the Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction tour, Tom Morello is leading another of his Justice tours.  Last night, it hit Seattle in style.  Tad Doyle, formerly of Tad, performed with Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron, doing three Soundgarden songs, with Tom Morello sitting on on "Spoonman" (which he knew, because Audioslave used to perform it). Also on the bill: Steve Earle and Wayne Kramer of The MC5.  Read about it at The Seattle Weekly. The Justice tour is coming to New York, with Perry Farrell and Jerry Cantrell on the bill.  I missed that tour last time, I gotta catch it this time. 

But I wonder if "Tadgarden" will play again.  Cameron is a member of Pearl Jam, and that seems to be going really well for him, he's been in PJ longer than he was in Soundgarden. But in a recent interview, Chris Cornell said that there really wouldn't be a downside to reuniting with Soundgarden, so who knows, maybe this will prompt him to leave his more pop-oriented solo work the same way Keith Richards' rocking solo stuff lured Mick Jagger away from his more pop solo material. Although I don't know if Soundgarden can reunite without the involvement of their former manager, who is also Cornell's ex-wife. Time will tell!