Chris Cornell.
Heather and I went to see him last night. This was our third Chris Cornell show. The first two were really, really good. This one, not so much. I guess we should have been, and kinda were, tipped off by the fact that it was a Timbaland/Chris Cornell show. But, hey, it’s not like we don’t like Timbaland. But, when Chris Cornell came on to close the show, and started performing, it started badly and got worse. And, the place emptied, so it’s not like we were the only ones that didn’t appreciate the difference. Basically, there’s this rock star on stage. But, instead of having the show focus on him, there’s basslines and synthesized bullshit. Then, the second rate guitarists* were turned up to compete. So, you could barely hear Chris himself. And then, he only sings the new shit, which even when you hear it without all the bullshit, doesn’t compare to his Soundgarden or Audioslave stuff, or even his previous solo work. Heather says he sold out, and I have trouble disagreeing with those harsh words. Two months ago, he was a rock star. Now, it was like anyone could have been up there and it would have been bad. But, instead, it’s worse because there’s this former rock star making the same movements and facial expressions to this bullshit. He’s not Britney Spears, where you cover up his lack of ability with the show. Or, at least he wasn’t two months ago.
*I don’t know shit about the technical aspects of guitar play, but none of the guys he’s had on the three shows I’ve seen have compared with the recorded stuff. Take my evaluation of their worth as musicians with a large grain of salt.