SOUNDGARDEN at the Molson Amphitheatre, Saturday, July 2. Rating: NNNN
Saturday night in Toronto marked a return to active duty for Soundgarden, the band’s first show of their first tour in 14 years.
Chris Cornell has always seemed reluctant to reconnect with his old bandmates, but after the critical backslide that progressed from Audioslave through a disastrous solo collaboration with hip hop producer Timbaland, it wasn’t a huge shock to see him return to Soundgarden.
It’d be easy to dismiss the reunion as a nostalgia-fed cash grab, especially coming on the heels of a widespread 90s revival, but the fact that they’ve already reportedly been working on a new album should suggest that it’s at least partially creatively motivated.
And you’d think they’d have quite a bit of rust to shake off, but the band’s remarkable two hour performance showed they’ve still got a ton of gas left in the tank.
Cornell, who’s readopted his long-haired, unshaven 90s look, hasn’t lost any of his banshee-like vocal register, while underrated guitar hero Kim Thayil was once again given the opportunity to show off his chops. Drummer Matt Cameron has spent the off-time earning his keep in Pearl Jam, but showed he can still handle Soundgarden’s more complicated off-kilter time signatures.
Soundgarden has always had a bit of a split personality, alternating between sludgy, downtuned stoner metal and slightly more polished radio-grunge, and their Toronto concert showed off both facets.
Songs like Rusty Cage and Beyond The Wheel were hit with gut-punching heaviness, even despite the Amphitheatre’s muddled sound mix, while more familiar tracks like Black Hole Sun and Blow Up The Outside World elicited honest-to-goodness audience singalongs.
Judging by the number of vintage Soundgarden t-shirts in the audience, there were obviously many people waiting patiently for this reunion and the band failed to disappoint.
