ROCKTIME PRESENTS
AUDIOSLAVE
AT
THE WARFIELD THEATRE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.
3/19/03
On this eve of destruction, the U. S. troops are beginning the attack on Iraq. In fact, as Audioslave was taking the stage, missiles were being launched directly at the capital city of Baghdad. A city older than most on earth, known as the cradle of civilization, is the primary target of U.S. military action. There is babylon in Babylon, an archealogical treasure and we're going to destroy most of it. Some archealogical digs in Baghdad date back to 10,000 years B.C. Talk about criminal, the bombs just keep raining on this cultural mecca. Far away from this war, we gather to hear some rock and roll in the city of opinion, or no opinion. When it comes to rock and roll, it's all about the vocals, there's no doubt about it. Chris Cornell is finally back at the helm of a new band, it's been six long years since the breakup of Soundgarden. His powerful and inspirational vocal style has been dearly missed by adorning fans worldwide. The wait is over as Audioslave is wrapping up its U.S. tour here in San Francisco, and then off to Seattle (3/22) to close it out.Only fitting as Seattle is where Chris lives and is where Soungarden rooted. Being a native of Seattle myself, it is a town of high caliber. One of the most beautiful cities in the world. This town was a melting pot of rare vocalists during the late eighties and early nineties that embodied a generation with their music. Bands like Green River were playing at the Central Tavern, and later Mother Lovebone with Andrew Wood, the emphatic Kurt Cobain with Nirvana, and of course, Chris Cornell with Soundgarden. This is my generation in fact, the funny thing is that these bands were all so uniquely different, but yet inevitably categorized as the Seattle sound, better known as "grunge." I can only think that this term was coined by some idiot that thought these bands dressed "grungy." Old jeans and a t-shirt have never been more in style, people are buying brand new clothes that have been ripped for that "grungy" look. Another evidence of how the music world effects popular culture, the only difference being the jeans are really old jeans on the rock stars. Incidentally, for those of you who don't know, when Andrew Wood passed on, Eddie Vedder came to Seattle and Pearl Jam was born from the remnants of Mother Lovebone.
That's all old news, but it should serve to catch the young 'uns up to speed on Chris Cornell. This new band Audioslave is somewhat of a supergroup, as Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford from Rage Against the Machine are the real backbone of this band. A power rythym section providing the most intense of grooves and the most wailing of licks. Audioslave will be touring Europe through the spring and we all can look forward to them grabbing some major attention as one of the headlining acts at Lollapalooza '03 this Summer. Their debut album came out late last year and I know everybody at this show already had it, because they were all screaming the words. The funk was out in force and you could feel the vibrations right through the floor. After some straight ahead power rock, Chris decided it was time to speak his mind. Chris was, I'm sure, the voice of the whole band in his repeated comments in protest of the war. You could tell right away this was also a political stage when a sign was hung off a speaker monitor that said, "How many Iraqis per gallon?" Another was soon hung that said, "Somewhere in Texas a village is missing it's idiot."
Chris also put his emotions on the subject into a cover song by Elvis Costello, "Peace, Love, and Understanding." The band left the stage as he did a great rendition, playing an acoustic guitar and belting out a classic song, a completely different side of Chris. These are emotional times and we are all human, it is apparent that anybody with the position to voice their opinion to the masses must take that opportunity. That's what America is all about, freedom of speech. In times of disapearing civil liberties under the guise of fighting terrorism, we must stand and speak our minds. I applaud Chris and Audioslave for letting their feelings be known.
The fourth song "Like A Stone" was so unreal it was like riding in a spaceship with the aliens of planet rock at the controls. The guitar effects were off the charts, providing some of the most unheard of sounds possible. During "Exploder," Chris quit singing just before the end of the song and held the microphone out to the crowd. The fans were loud as f*#k as they screamed out the last line of the song, "If your head is high you'll never fear at all." I think this new band is certainly defined by the distinct sound of Cornell's voice, but it is nothing like Soundgarden. Audioslave boasts a delightful assortment of innovative new guitar work along with the ever conscious and thought provoking lyrics of Chris Cornell. The song that stuck out for me was "Techno Ted," it was a slower song with Pink Floyd style guitar licks and was a psychedelic transport to the zone. "Last Remaining Light," had this great drum intro, a big bass drum sound and then screaming guitars on top of that. The cover of "Working Man" was great, but the original new songs were by far the best part of the show. It was funky fresh rocking, and nothing like anything you've ever seen before. Check out Audioslave this summer, keep on rocking and we'll see ya at the shows.
NICK RUNNING
SET LIST
1. SET IT OFF
2. LIGHT MY WAY
3. GASOLINE
4. LIKE A STONE
5. SUPER STUPID
6. HYPNOTIZED
7. WHAT YOU ARE
8. PEACE, LOVE AND (C. CORNELL- ACOUSTIC SOLO)
UNDERSTANDING (COVER SONG BY ELVIS COSTELLO)
9. EXPLODER
10. TECHNO TED
11. LAST REMAINING LIGHT
12. SHOW ME HOW TO LIVE
13. SHADOW ON THE SUN
--------------ENCORE-------------
14. I AM THE HIGHWAY
15. WORKING MAN (COVER SONG BY RUSH)
16. COCHISE
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