Chris Cornell @ Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA; 4/10/11

Last night Chris Cornell brought his acoustic Songbook tour into the suburbs of Philadelphia, and yours truly was there to take it in.

OK, before going further, I have to admit something; I had questions about what kind of show I was going to see. I’d heard recordings of Cornell as frontman for his multitude of bands from various stages of his career, and I was skeptical that this live performance would live up to what I had built up in my head. But playing to a predominantly older crowd (for a rock n’ roll show, anyway), Cornell came out and blasted through a 26-song career-spanning-and-then-some set that blew away any speculation about Cornell’s diminished skills as a singer over the last two decades.

After a solid opening set from Iowa folk-rocker William Elliott Whitmore (think the intersection of Johnny Cash and Bruce Springsteen), Chris Cornell came out and wasted little time diving into a collection of songs ranging from hits that radio have milked every last drop out of to lesser known solo tracks, even a few cuts from the less appreciated Scream album (sans Timbaland). Despite a seated crowd that didn’t engage with Cornell the way they might have at a different venue, Chris Cornell managed to lure the audience in with stories from all eras of his career (fact: his first solo album was supposed to be titled Euphoria Mourning, but a printing error left out the ‘u’), covers of songs that influenced his own work (notably an electric cover of Springsteen’s “State Trooper”), and a few Charlie Sheen jokes (apparently Cornell lives up the hill from Sheen, and has no problem with the drug use…until its time to put his kids to sleep and the helicopters are still buzzing his house).

Fans of Chris Cornell’s 24-year body of work probably left the show satisfied with what they saw. But fans who mostly know Cornell for Audioslave and his more recent solo work might have gone long periods of time perplexed; songs from the last Audioslave record were noticeably absent, and the second half of the main set was riddled with fan favorites from Temple of the Dog and his first solo album. But even for those that might not have recognized every song, to hear Chris Cornell belt out some of his most powerful tracks (and those of others) was a wonderful experience.

So even for those that few the current Songbook Tour as the last obstacle to a new Soundgarden album, there was plenty to enjoy, and Chris Cornell, despite age and wear and tear on his voice (face it; there’s no easy way to sing “Mind Riot”), was as good as any recording might suggest.

Setlist: Chris Cornell @ Keswick Theatre, 4/10/11

Scar on the Sky (Solo)
Ground Zero (Solo)
Be Yourself (Audioslave)
Can’t Change Me (Solo)
Two Drink Minimum (Solo)
Call Me A Dog (Temple of the Dog)
Sunshower (Solo)
Fell On Black Days (Soundgarden)
Burden in my Hand (Soundgarden)
I Am The Highway (Audioslave)
State Trooper (Bruce Springsteen Cover)
When I’m Down (Solo – accompanied by vinyl piano recording by Natasha Shneider)
Seasons (Solo)
Thank You (Solo/Led Zeppelin Cover)
All Night Thing (Temple of the Dog)
Man of Golden Words (Mother Love Bone)/Comfortably Numb
Say Hello to Heaven (Temple of the Dog)
Mind Riot (Soundgarden)
Like Suicide (Soundgarden)
Like A Stone (Audioslave)
Doesn’t Remind Me (Audioslave)
A Day in the Life (Beatles Cover)

Encore
Scream (Solo)
Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden)
Imagine (John Lennon Cover)

Encore II
Billie Jean (Solo/Michael Jackson Cover)

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