Taking our seats, the QPAC Concert Hall stage (30 Nov) resembled how I would imagine a recording studio to look. A worn rug, high-back stool, microphones, speakers and a collection of guitars.
Yet there were curious items too – a cello, mandolin, turntable and a small table upon which sat a red, retro, rotary-dial phone. I spot movement to the side of the stage and there he is. Chris Cornell. Singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer and lyricist.
Taking his place behind the microphone, Cornell told the crowd the night would involve him doing what he enjoys most – touring with his collection of acoustic guitars and performing songs spanning his 30-year music career.
He had a lot of fun when he last toured Australia solo he added, before confessing it had in fact proven to be a life defining moment for him. My husband has since informed me that this was likely a reference to Cornell’s near drowning incident.
The set kicked off with ‘Before We Disappear’. And just like that, I found myself swept up in the raw, bittersweet, soaring voice that is signature Cornell.
Introducing ‘Can’t Change Me’ from his first studio solo album, 'Euphoria Morning', Cornell told the audience that the album has just been released on vinyl, with the title changed to 'Euphoria Mourning' to correct a 1998 mistake.
‘As Hope And Promise Fade’ followed before Cornell lent his hand to Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’, which he described as a tip of the hat to the original rather than a cover given he has changed the majority of the lyrics.
Enter Bryan Gibson – arranger/ composer/ multi-Instrumentalist – who joined Cornell to play the mandolin on ‘Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart’, before picking up the cello to accompany Cornell on the first Soundgarden song of the night, ‘Fell On Black Days’ and Led Zeppelin’s’s ‘Thank You’.
Donning a harmonica holder fitted instead with microphones, Cornell moved to the front of the stage where he performed Audioslave’s ‘Doesn’t Remind Me’ and Temple Of The Dog’s ‘Call Me A Dog’. In the latter his voice was gut-wrenchingly raw, before dropping to a wistful croon for the line, "I’ll call you beautiful if I call at all".
Bryan Gibson returned to the stage to play cello on ‘Let Your Eyes Wander’, ‘You Know My Name’ and ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’. If you thought Sinead O’Connor did justice to Prince’s songwriting, have a listen to Cornell’s version.
‘Rusty Cage’ was next and the Concert Hall rang with enthusiastic claps from the full house, with Cornell taking the tempo from slow to an almost fast-country music pace. The haunting ‘I Am The Highway’ continued the feeling of longing, followed by ‘Sunshower’ and ‘Worried Moon’.
‘Black Hole Sun’, one of Soundgarden’s most popular, was delivered with another applause-raising cello accompaniment with Cornell choosing The Beatles’ ‘A Day In the Life’ to finish the official set.
Returning for his encore, Cornell graciously accommodated a birthday announcement from the crowd, leading the audience into ‘Happy Birthday’. ‘Like A Stone’, another song requested throughout the show, commenced the encore, followed by ‘Josephine’.
The final song for the night was ‘Higher Truth’. Nearing the song’s end, Cornell unplugged his guitar, discarded his guitar pick, and knelt down to manipulate the recurring sounds into a distorted wall of noise.
His final touch was putting needle to vinyl on Jimmy Reed’s 'Rockin’ With Reed', before strolling off stage without a backward glance like only a rock legend can.
