Music Review - Chris Cornell Songbook Tour 2013

Who: Chris Cornell

What: Songbook Tour 2013

Where: Scottish Rite Auditorium

When: November 24, 2013 at 7:30pm

WARNING: If you just had to Google Chris Cornell to find out who he is—first: shame on you, and second: there's probably no reason for you to read the rest of this review, but then again, it might be well written and somewhat humorous.  So if you have nothing else to do for the next five minutes (Can porn really wait?) give it a read.

If in the past you cruised around in a black primer Camaro on Friday nights cranking Outshined, or Spoonman, or Hunger Strike, or…well you get the idea, then this concert should be right up your alley.  No, there are no loud guitar riffs, or nutty drunks throwing beer or fists your way.  And no, you probably won't see women flashing or getting stripped naked while stage diving.  But an amazing history of talent will be unleashed to a smaller crowd, creating a pleasurable and intimate experience that will be hard to match.  So grab a loved one, a better half, or one of the kids, and head to the nearest venue to see Chris Cornell, one of the best vocalists this side of rock music.

You may look at this photo and see his guitars, amps, and microphone, but what truly puts 

Mr. Cornell in a league of his own...is the rotary phone (on its own stool).

STORY:

Chris Cornell, front-man of Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog, ditches all other musicians and hits the road, Lone Ranger style, to perform from a deep well of songs that spans decades.  Anecdotes, record playing, rotary phones, guitar strumming, bicycle riding, and perfect vocals ensue.

INTRODUCTION:

In a tiny New Jersey town, known for…well, nothing, Chris Cornell came out on stage in an antiquated theatre filled to the brim with an older, yet “cultured” audience.  Most of the front rows jumped to the stage to welcome the musician and were thanked with heartfelt waves and handshakes.  Cornell then placed an open palm over his eyes to shield the lights and announced the theatre is "interesting" and that it looked like a place the witch trials might have occurred.  After a short story about his family and current place in life, one of seven guitars was strapped over a shoulder and an impressive history of his music, peppered with a few tributes, followed.

Because he gets recognized everywhere he goes, Mr. Cornell has been advised to dress as 

Johnny Depp from "Secret Window."

HOW LONG IS THE SHOW?

One would think a lone man with several guitars would probably crank out an hour or an hour and a half of entertainment, and then call it a night.  Nope.  Not here.  Mr. Cornell played for a whopping two hours and fifty minutes.  His energetic enthusiasm might have let him sing well into the morning, but being a family man now, he has to think about others, and instead packed up the show around 11:30pm.  With an opening act (Bhi Bhiman) starting exactly on time and playing about a half hour, that brought Cornell onto the stage a tiny bit after 8:30pm.  So if you’re looking to get completely trashed ahead of time and slip in just before Cornell takes the stage, a one hour difference from the start time should ensure plenty of alcoholic debauchery.

Chris Cornell can be seen here, doing what he does best: trying to swallow a microphone.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

A laid back, easy-going, yet funny musician will talk about his career and then sing whatever song strikes his fancy at that moment.  If the audience contains totally sloshed, middle-aged women, expect a lot of screaming about how sexy Chris is and random songs they want to hear.  The venue (whether it was the theatre or how the tour handles photography in general) didn't care too much about cell phone recordings or random flashes from cameras.  So stuffing your super-8 down your pants and telling the security guard it’s a left-over dinner plate is probably not necessary. 

Standing room was non-existent and most of the show people remained calm and in their seats.  If you're going to the Songbook Tour to expose your love of Audioslave and how much you like punching people in the face, you're in the wrong building.  Stabbings, assaults, and gun violence have been moved to the random Rage Against the Machine concerts and any show containing the Wu-Tang Clan.  Now, if you're really a lucky attendee, you might just have a happy crack-head couple taking puffs of their happy crack-pipe during the show with the police department six feet away.  Nothing says smart like smoking crack within arm's reach of the law.

After decades of living as a rockstar, Mr. Cornell announced this was how he got around nowadays,

and that trying to strap the equipment to the bike is hell.

Most of the songs Cornell sang were just him and a guitar, but two instances saw the opening act (Bhi Bhiman) walk out on stage to help with Hunger Strike and other impromptu songs like Led Zeppelin's Over the Hills and Far Away—which after about midway through Cornell gave it the kill sign and announced, "...you'd be surprised, but between me and Bhi Bhiman, there are millions of songs we don't know."  The strangest, yet most interesting portions of the concert occurred when Chris broke out the vinyl.  Yep, in addition to a rotary phone on stage (no idea why he had that) there happened to be a record player.  (For the young kids out there that don't know what a record is: pretend someone took your iPhone, flattened it, rounded it, and then spun it on a table, after hitting play.)  Cornell would rummage through several vinyl sleeves, pull out the one he wanted, get that sucker spinning, and then sing along to the music. 

If you search the web for Chris Cornell's Songbook Tour playlists, you'll find multiple sites listing off the many different tunes your ears might hear.  What you'll get is anyone's guess as he seems to decide what's next on the spur of the moment.  But you might hear a little Zeppelin or Beatles or something of the like, which added to the special feel of the concert itself.

CONCLUSION:

For an amazing intimate show from a performer who has wowed audiences with his high notes for decades, you can't get any better or funnier than Chris Cornell.  Not only will you hear exceptional lyrics and melodies, but you'll catch a glimpse into the man himself.  The smaller the venue the better, as the show at the Scottish Rite felt like Cornell was playing in your living room.  If you've enjoyed any past concerts with Chris as the front man, then the Songbook Tour of 2013 will not only surprise you, but will also help you understand the soul that sits behind the instrument.

4.5 out of 5 stars (minus a ½ star for the unnecessary opening act)