The Spin caption pretty much says it all. It's been ages since Soundgarden split (1997) and now, with the absense of any new creative outlets, the boys appear to be looking for a steady gig. No worries, this fan obliges nostalgia.
The last time I saw them was 1996 at Varsity Stadium. They were on their "Down on the Upside" album tour. (The openers were Rocket from the Crypt.) This go-round is at the Molson Amphitheatre. A nice bonus are the openers progressive outfit Coheed & Cambria who passed through Toronto a few months ago.
Got there on time. Decent crowd filing in; the grass section seems to have more people than the lower sections. A mix of older and not so old in the crowd.
The show started promptly at 7:30pm with Claudio Sanchez et. al. taking the stage. Claudio, working a white Dean, is a mass of frizzy hair. C&C blow through the first two songs in rapid succession before the crowd starts to loosen up and respond. Still alot of people getting their drink on (at $10 a pop) and trying to scoop better seats.
The acoustics are decent; the top end is clean but swimmy. The lead guitarist can really tear and the levels from the drummer and bass are distinct and separate. (Good Job tech people).
C&C blow through another track keeping up the rapid pace. The equipment changes between tracks is F1 pit crew calibre. Claudio gets a dark wood grain Dean before launching into another track. (Sorry still working on a C&C setlist).
More people file in and the lower sections start to fill out. Alot of concert shirts out there. I spot some older heads rocking Bob Seger tour shirts but alot of 2011 Soundgarden and Badmotorfinger shirts. Saw one guy with a Soundgarden/NIN tour shirt from Molson Park, Barrie 1991.
Last track. Claudio puts his hair in a ponytail and brings out the double neck for Welcome Home. Great prog track. The crowd recognizes the tune and gets into it a little. Claudio plays the outro behind his head.
Whole set took about 45 minutes. Got to say C&C really brought it but the audience here is mostly oblivious. They deserved a much better more attentive less distracted audience. Still the show went on and they carried themselves very professionally. A+ for the band. D- for the audience.
Intermission and a few inane movie trailers fill the screens. A colder wind starts to blow through the place.
I overheard some dude saying he likes Audioslave more than Soundgarden. Recall Homer Simpson likes Wings more than the Beatles. Kids.
By this time everyone is seated. Night falls and the sound check starts around 8:30pm.
And Soundgarden hit the stage a few minutes later. Chris Cornell, Ben Sheppard, Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron. Chris and Matt have stayed musically (and professionally) active. I have no idea what Ben and Kim have done. There's always a kind of reckoning with a reunion and the onus was on Ben and Kim to bring it.
The set starts with Black Rain and it's pretty clear that Kim's guitar levels are too low. Chris has got the hair like the Jesus Christ Pose video. Ben has filled out a little but still has this wild-ass on-stage bass moves. Matt is, of course, amazing.
A small note on guitarists and that divide between studio work and live recordings. Some guitarists choose to trot out the same licks used in the studio in their live recordings. Thayil doesn't. I remember this from the last concert where alot of licks turned out differently. It's a risk - some tracks don't lend themselves to ad libs and improv.
Next track is Searching with My Good Eye Closed - "Do you hear a cow?" "A rooster says" "Here is a pig". Still can't hear Kim. Fortunately, by Spoonman they had fixed the levels.
The crowd is into it. I'm into it now that I can hear everything. Back to 1994. After Gun, Chris acknowledges the crowd. Points out a guy in the front that mouthed "I love you" to Chris - Ha ha, happy pride week dude.
The crew lowers the stage lights and points them into the crowd for "Blow up the Outside World". Shades of the video (an homage to A Clockwork Orange).
After this track, I notice about four cameras at the front cutting between shots on stage and the audience with B&W palette. Nice work on the two screens above the stage.
A few more tracks and then a brief break. I caught this huge nose of weed which foreshadowed the start of Outshined. Recall Floyd from True Romance.
The next track was the only one from UltraMega OK but is arguably one that sets Chris Cornell apart from most other singers of his era. It's a screaming track which showcases Cornell's "full head" sound while employing some resonance/echo kind of effects; great for this kind of venue. I was enraptured - this was the highlight track for me.
Alot of whooping and hollering from the audience after this one - they know what it's about. Chris raps a bit with the audience mentioning his son who is just off stage glued to Matt Cameron's drumming. Nice!
The next track is Fell on Black Days and the rain starts to fall as if on cue. It's festive out there and a few yellow-jacketed security guards scramble up top in response to an idiot.
A few more tracks and we are into Black Hole Sun with Matt doing the backing vocals. Kim's guitar is subdued once more. It seems some of his pedals are audible and others aren't; very annoying.
The next track gets a little context from Chris as we head into 4th of July. The crowd loves it. Great line: Light a Roman Candle and Hold it in your Hand.
A few more tracks and a brief break before Soundgarden are on stage for the encore. It's Slaves and Bulldozers. Fortunately, the guitar setup is audible and Kim shows up. Best guitar work done in the show. He's still got it.
Soundgarden Setlist
Black Rain (Telephantasm)
Searching With My Good Eye Closed (Badmotorfinger)
Spoonman (Superunknown)
Gun (Louder than Love)
Rusty Cage (Badmotorfinger)
Blow Up The Outside World (Down on the Upside)
Let Me Drown (Superunknown)
Jesus Christ Pose (Badmotorfinger)
My Wave (Superunknown)
Day I Tried To Live (Superunknown)
Outshined (Badmotorfinger)
Beyond The Wheel (Ultramega O.K.)
Fell On Black Days (Superunknown)
Ugly Truth (Louder than Love)
Burden In My Hand (Down on the Upside)
Superunknown (Superunknown)
Black Hole Sun (Superunknown)
4th Of July (Superunknown)
Face Pollution (Badmotorfinger)
Like Suicide (Superunknown)
Slaves And Bulldozers (Badmotorfinger)
Best Songs: Beyond the Wheel, Slaves and Bulldozers
Best Concert Shirt: Kyuss Lives
Songs I would have liked to hear: Limo Wreck, Hands All Over
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