Sharon_au reviewed on Apr 5 2008 2:29AM:
Show Rating: (5)

Chris Cornell- Adelaide Entertainment Centre

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I heard a whisper filter down the grapevine that Chris Cornell was heading for Australia. For a Cornell Fan is a special time. Scanning through the newspapers, surfing the net for information and yet I find nothing. Out of the blue Chris Cornell to tour as special guest with Linkin Park. Initial response, "WTF ! that can't be right" the Rock-Grunge Legendary god-like Cornell performing as a back-up " But it's confirmed ticket sales released and the Cornell fans Australia wide there is disarray amongst the fans, everyone is questioning Chris's reasoning and logic behind it perhaps even his sanity.

The internet is a buzz with excitement and also dis-appointment. Many Cornell fans are not wanting to pay $100 to see Chris perform as a back-up, but the die-hard fans did and I'm one of them.

Initially I admit I was one who went while I don't mind Linkin Park I would definitely not pay to see them perform. Yet there is a major carrot dangling Chris Cornell Rock-Grunge god-like legend . I held out until the last day, (I was already planning the Melbourne trip for the Solo Concert, so was counting the pennies) BUT on the day knowing that Chris was in town and having no ticket didn't sit well, as the work day progresses the edgier I became. I was glued to the radio and trying to win a ticket for the night. I had been communicating with a radio announcer via email re: Cornell and the lack of air-play he receives here in Australia. Unbeknownst to me he had sent me an email telling me what time to call the station and I'll have a good chance of getting a ticket. MAN ! I got a tip off that I didn't get to see until I got home from work. BUMMER ! Arrived home and was in the mind set NO WAY was I going to miss out on seeing the show. I high tailed it to the AEC and managed to get a last minute ticket. (in the nose bleed section)Upon entry I set out on a mission to get my seat changed. A little polite persuasion with the door staff who I discovered had no idea who Chris Cornell was immediately lead to an impromptu and ear bashing on the history of Chris Cornell as any fan would do. Well I scored big time, the door staff allowed me into a section that they normally don't sell to the public. I ended up dead set in line with the stage and up as close as one could get with seating at the AEC, I had a side on view but a great one.

Time ticked away and the moment had arrived, Chris and his band entered the stage. I'm up on my feet cheering my heart out for all the guys. The time had arrived to bring it on. Like a kid in a candy store this ole' tune junkie just soaking up every precious second they were on stage. You knew the time was limited and just wanted to maximise the experience I'm sure any Cornell Fans would related to that. The Linkin Park crowd mainly comprised of very young folk were initially very reserved in their reaction to Chris and his band but when he sang Audioslave tunes all of a sudden they knew who he was and the crowd erupted. I specifically recall also when he sang "Rusty Cage" & "Spoonman" the crowd just went off, the mosh pit was jumpin'. This was so great to see because here we have Chris singing tunes from many year gone by that probably the majority of the crowd had never heard. They were diggin what they were hearing. This just goes to show you that the tunes are ageless and at that time I understood the method in Chris's madness by playing back-up with Linkin Park. Your a smart man Chris Cornell! Chris just opened up Pandora's Box so to speak, now a new generation of music lovers have discovered what us Cornell Fans always knew. It brings a whole new meaning to "You Know My Name" now the people of Australia won't forget his name and will have embedded in their minds what they experienced at the Linkin Park concert. People around me that didn’t know who he was spoke with such enthusiasm and loved what Chris sang, they actually stopped to talk to me while Linkin Park played and asked questions about Chris and these were people that were there strictly for Linkin Park. On the other side I came into contact that night with a lot of folks of all ages who were there strictly to see Chris only.

Overall for me, Chris didn't disappoint, he was the ultimate showman, a seasoned polished performer with an almighty voice that didn't falter. His band was awesome and there was an obvious happiness about them all together which was just great to see. I can't really name 1 particular highlight from Chris and his bands performance, it was simply just killer and was definitely a teaser session for any Cornell Fan, the sad part was seeing them all leave the stage when you just wanted to hear more, more, more.

Sharon _ South Australia
http://myspace.com/cornellfan