Chris Cornell at Webster Hall

http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2809

I went to see Chris Cornell at Webster Hall last night. jaydk came with me. It was entirely last-minute; I just happened to notice that he was playing there, went on Ticketmaster the night before the show, and snagged two tickets. Yay!

He also played there on April 7, and I kind of spoiled myself by looking at the setlist for that, which included “Let Me Drown” and “Like Suicide,” neither of which he played last night. He didn’t play enough Soundgarden, period, although he sort of made up for that with lots of Temple of the Dog.

My scale of response to Chris Cornell’s music:

* Chris Cornell solo material = me standing still, attempting an expression of polite interest
* Audioslave = me bobbing my head, singing along to the chorus, and wondering why every Audioslave song sounds the same
* Soundgarden/Temple of the Dog = me jumping up and down like a possessed lunatic and singing along to every word at the top of my lungs

The highlights were probably the intense, almost unhinged “Jesus Chris Pose” and the final, drawn-out “Reach Down” with “Say Hello 2 Heaven” interlude.

The venue was great–big enough to build up mass enthusiasm, but small enough to feel personal. We were on the far left, about fourth row or so. I got to hold Chris Cornell’s hand a couple of times when he reached into the crowd. The performance was so enthusiastic and genuine–band members and sound guys smiling, changing the set-list mid-set based on audience requests, goofing off and seeming like they were actually having a good time. It felt real and not like a corporate machine, which is sort of what I’d expected from an artist who’s been around so long. The older songs in particular felt so vital, like I’d been transported back in time to the early 90s–a particularly surreal experience given that it was the fifteenth (!!!) anniversary of the day the world learned of Kurt Cobain’s death.

Oh, and there was this, which is something I can honestly say I’ve never seen at a concert before:

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