The concept of the so-called "Super Group" has been around for a couple of years now. With members of one prestigious band joining forces with members from another to form what many fans believe to be "The group of all groups". Audioslave, which is combined from members of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden, has already been mentioned in this "elite" status. Although new to the rock scene, these veteran musicians have proven so far to the public that they can still rock in a major way.
The group opened their American leg of their tour in Denver to promote the self-titled album, which debuted in November of 2002. The band, which consists of
Chris Cornell on vocals, Tom Morello on guitar, Tim Commerford on bass, and Brad Wilk on drums, sparred no energy in delivering an unbelievable performance to kick off the US tour. The Fillmore Auditorium was sold out to capacity to welcome the foursome who had inspired so many in the past. The fans would not to be disappointed…
Kicking right into "Light My Way", the crowd erupted into a mass of surging bodies, most eager to gain that extra inch to be closer to these rock idols. "Set it Off" followed next and the energy level exploded through the roof. It appeared that these guys had come to rock and spare no moment. "Gasoline" continued the trend and the band began to have a little fun. Cornell, stepped beyond the monitors only inches from screaming fans, and delivered his patented screams with what seemed like no effort at all. Tom Morello continued to defy the laws of the modern guitar by delivering note by powerful note, with immersed screeching and wailing which is his signature guitar sound. It wasn’t until "Like a Stone", the band’s fourth song, that the crowd got a little bit of a breather.
The intensity of the show did not subside one moment, as even the slower songs still produced beats and background riffs that kept the crowd wanting more. "Show me How to Live" and "The Last Remaining Light" brought out the stronger of the later tunes. Cornell proved he could still bring a crowd to the brink of awe, with "The Last Remaining Light". I think I saw more jaw dropping during this tune just due to the simple fact that he could still wail the notes and screeching harmonics seemingly without any effort. With the band coming back out for their encore, they paid their respects to the individuals who had been injured or killed in the Rhode Island nightclub disaster the previous night. They kicked into "I am the Highway", with Cornell playing acoustically for the first half of the song. The band jumped in around the chorus and everyone was back into the groove. The band finished off the evening with their first single, "Cochise" and left everyone gasping for air afterwards.
Audioslave is only playing a specific number of shows throughout North America on this tour - Definitely check them out! These musicians are also playing the
Lollapalooza festival this summer as well, so if you can’t make it to a show this time around, catch them in a few months. If you are looking for a quick fix of one of the older tunes from their previous bands, do not be surprised if you do not hear any Soundgarden or Rage material; as the guys are extremely proud of this album and are concentrating more on Audioslave’s sudden success. The excitement at this show was unbelievable and brought me back to the days when I had first seen these musicians with their former bands and the ear to ear grin the music provided both then and this evening as well.
