Live: Chris Cornell @ Royal Albert Hall

by | May 6, 2016

Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell played his first show at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall in support of fifth solo album Higher Truth, the tour similar in style to his 2011 Songbook tour, with Cornell playing stripped-back renditions of a selection of songs from his Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple Of The Dog and solo material mixed with covers on a range of acoustic guitars, this time accompanied by Bryan Gibson on cello, keyboards and mandolin.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

“Royal Albert Hall! I have to confess that it is my fault I’m playing such a stuffy building, I really wanted to play here” the 51-year-old said, grinning from ear to ear, walking onto the Kensington stage dressed in jeans, t-shirt and overcoat and surrounded simply by guitar monitors and acoustic guitars.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

Kicking off with Higher Truth material, Cornell said “This is about not taking for granted the things that you really care about because life doesn’t last that long”, introducing Before We Disappear.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

The storytelling nature of the show was clear early on as the Seattle native introduced Can’t Change Me from 1999’s Euphoria Morning: “It’s a song where you recognise that no matter what happens in your life, no matter how much you love someone or how much they love you you’re still always going to be the same old fucking idiot that you always were.”

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

Clearly in awe of his surroundings, Cornell gave away his tour scheduling, saying “this whole tour was designed so that at one point I could hit this one date to play here”. He even highlighted the venue’s grand pipe organ. “Does anybody see the keyboard that runs this whole fuckin’ thing anywhere?” “Fuck it must sound amazing” he continued. “They must have spent a lot of the Empire’s money building this room” he jested, enticing a ripple of laughter across the crowd.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

A cover of Prince-penned Nothing Compares 2 U was the first of numerous covers. “I started doing this about eight months ago and I was hoping that is wouldn’t piss him off, but now it feels like a tribute to him” Cornell introduced, Gibson’s cello adding a sombre contribution to the downbeat song, even more poignant now barely two weeks on from Prince’s passing.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

Other covers making the set were a re-lyricised rendition of Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’, which had Cornell strapping on a harmonica coupled with a microphone, allowing him to wander the Albert Hall Stage, Led Zeppelin’s Thank You, made even more special as Cornell pointed out his friend and Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page in the crowd, an odd rendition of U2’s 1992 hit single One, featuring the lyrics from Metallica’s 1988 anti-war song also called One which came about due to an apparent googling error and Cornell’s rendition of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, which featured on his first post-Audioslave solo effort Carry On.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

One might even call tonight’s performance of Soundgarden classic Rusty Cage a cover, as the version Cornell chose to perform was itself Johnny Cash’s rendition of the song, highlighting how far-reaching Cornell’s music is and how he’s able to understand and be humbled by another’s take on his own material.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

As Audioslave tune Doesn’t Remind Me concluded, I’m sure I was the first in the hall to howl at the Seattle native in recognition as the first few chords to 1996 single Blow Up the Outside World were strummed, the rest of the audience slowly catching on and murmuring rather than singing loudly along with the song, it’s verses quiet even on the original Down On The Upside recording, Cornell covering lead guitar parts with his voice tonight and rounding out the track layering guitar and vocal parts on a loop station to dramatic effect.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

Misery Chain had Cornell put on a vinyl record featuring an acoustic guitar and bass backing track, allowing him to slowly roam the stage, crooning the slow blues song. “This is a vinyl record, in case you don’t know what it is out there” he said dryly, removing the disc from its player.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

As the Soundgarden frontman plucked out the famous guitar intro to Black Hole Sun, The 1994 hit single easily garnered the biggest cheer of night, and most nights on the tour I suspect, this stripped-back rendition feeling so very raw.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

The main set was closed out with a cover of The BeatlesA Day In The Life, Gibson’s cello helping to add some of the more psychedelic undertones to the 1967 classic. You could tell that this was the sort of track that a young Cornell would have cut his musical teeth on and that he was having the time of his life cranking it out at the Royal Albert Hall, even accentuating the name of the iconic venue present in the song’s lyrics.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

While the almost two and a half hour, curfew-busting set, scattered with humorous anecdotes was certainly appreciated by fans who continued to shout “six more songs!”, a lack of hit-mining may have grated on those less familiar with Cornell’s full solo repertoire. This was very much a Higher Truth show, but the overabundance of covers, disparate smattering of Audioslave songs and complete disregard of Soundgarden’s recent King Animal record proved disappointing.

 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chris Cornell (Kalpesh Patel)

That said, there can be no disputing Cornell’s sheer talent for song-writing, instrumentation and that killer near four octave vocal range which can still hit the mark, Higher Truth itself a stand-out record and not only for being so very different from everything that came before it.

Live review of Chris Cornell @ Royal Albert Hall by Kalpesh Patel on 3rd May 2016.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000.xxcdyg8tCs” g_name=”Chris-Cornell” f_show_caption=”t” f_show_slidenum=”t” img_title=”iptch” pho_credit=”iptc” f_link=”t” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”t” f_fullscreen=”t” f_smooth=”t” f_up=”t” f_show_watermark=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_mtrx=”t” fsvis=”f” width=”640″ height=”480″ f_constrain=”t” bgcolor=”FFFFFFF” btype=”new” bcolor=”#FFFFFF” crop=”f” twoup=”t” trans=”sweep” tbs=”4000″ f_ap=”t” bgtrans=”f” linkdest=”c” f_topbar=”f” f_bbar=”f” f_bbarbig=”” target=”_self” ]

 

Kalpesh has more music photography up on his flickr stream here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/somethingforkate

Jawbone (Rob Blackham / Blackham Images)

Jawbone Reignite Their Signature Sound With ‘Jawbone II’ — A Soulful, Live-Wire Triumph Of Folk, Rock & Psychedelia

It’s been a long time coming, but some things are worth the wait. Acclaimed British roots-rock band Jawbone have released their long-anticipated second album, Jawbone II, out now via 5dB Records (also home to anaiis, Ashaine White, and MOULD). Arriving seven years after their 2018 debut, Jawbone II reintroduces the quartet with the full force of their signature blend: timeless songwriting, masterful musicianship, and a rare kind of chemistry that can only come from years of playing together.

The Zipheads Kickstart A Rock ‘N’ Roll Renaissance In London

There’s two types of people in this world: those who’ve experienced The Zipheads live, and those who are missing out....
Reneé Rapp (Zora Sicher)

Reneé Rapp Enters Her Villain Era with Explosive New Single ‘Leave Me Alone’ and Announces Sophomore Album ‘Bite Me’

Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Reneé Rapp has officially kicked off a brand-new chapter with the release of her blistering new single, Leave Me Alone—out today via Interscope Records—alongside the announcement of her highly anticipated sophomore album, Bite Me, arriving on 1st August.

James Hetfield of Metallica @ Twickenham (Jamie MacMillan)

Metallica Extend Groundbreaking M72 World Tour Into 2026 With 16 Epic UK & European Dates

Metallica are once again proving why they remain one of the most enduring and electrifying forces in rock history. The iconic metal pioneers have announced that their record-breaking M72 World Tour will extend into a fourth consecutive year, unveiling a 16-date run across Europe and the UK scheduled for May through July 2026.

Sonya Madan of Echobelly @ Scala (Kalpesh Patel)

Echobelly Announce 30th Anniversary UK Tour Celebrating Seminal Britpop Album ‘ON’

Legendary Britpop band Echobelly have announced a UK tour to mark a major milestone: the 30th anniversary of their...
Sting @ Hammersmith Apollo (Kalpesh Patel)

Latitude Festival 2025 Preview: A Sonic Utopia In The Suffolk Countryside

As the UK’s summer festival season beckons, few weekends promise the scale, spirit and creativity of Latitude Festival 2025, returning to the lush grounds of Henham Park, Suffolk, from 24th to 27th July. Renowned for blending genre-defying music with bold theatre, cutting-edge comedy, engaging literature, and now even science, Latitude continues to push the boundaries of what a festival can be. And this year, the organisers have crafted one of their most dynamic line-ups yet—an ambitious celebration of both timeless legends and fearless newcomers.

Enter Shikari (Jez Pennington)

Enter Shikari Announce ‘Live at Wembley’ Album And Concert Film As Part Of Bootleg Series #13

Enter Shikari have announced the latest instalment in their long-running Bootleg Series — and it’s a big one. Bootleg #13: Live At Wembley is set for release on 11th July via SO Recordings / Ambush Reality, capturing the band’s biggest headline show to date in a blistering twenty-track audio and video experience.

Sophie Grey (Maximilian Stafford)

Sophie Grey Announces New EP ‘Just Another Sonic Monday’ & Shares Live Dates With Sting And SXSW Shows

Electro-pop artist Sophie Grey has announced her brand-new EP Just Another Sonic Monday, set for release on 30th May 2025 via Cherrytree Music Company. The EP follows the release of her infectious new single On Hold — a shimmering, synth-drenched throwback to the ’80s that has quickly marked SOPHIE as one to watch.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing