Remembering Chris Cornell: Performing Solo In Peoria In 2016

Legendary Soundgarden frontman, singer-songwriter and guitarist Chris Cornell tragically died by suicide five years ago today. The Seattle native and his band Soundgarden were pioneers in the grunge movement. Cornell’s powerful, nearly four-ocatve vocal range defined rock singing in the 1990s and was often emulated. But later in the hard rocker’s career, his fans got to see a more stripped down side of the singer-songwriter.

In September 2006, Cornell performed a solo acoustic concert in Stockholm, Sweden which became available as a download under the title Chris Cornell: Unplugged in Sweden. Following a series of critically acclaimed acoustic concerts in Los Angeles in 2009 and ‘10, Chris embarked on his landmark Songbook solo acoustic tour in 2011 which saw the troubadour performing throughout North America, New Zealand, Australia and South America.

At the end of 2011, Cornell released Songbook, his first live solo album, captured from North American stops on the Songbook tour. The album includes tunes from Chris’s solo career and Soundgarden as well as material from his other projects, the supergroups Temple Of The Dog and Audioslave, along with covers including John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You.”

Chris would bring a similar set of songs to a July 11, 2016 solo acoustic concert at the Peoria Civic Center Theatre in Peoria, Illinois. Cornell kicks off the 26-song set with “Before We Disappear” from his 2015 solo album, Higher Truth (for which he was supporting), followed by “Can’t Change Me” from his 1999 debit solo LP, Euphoria Mourning. The performance also contains Soundgarden’s “Fell On Black Days,” “Blow Up The Outside World” and “Black Hole Sun.” Audioslave entries include “I Am The Highway” and “Doesn’t Remind Me” and Chris also offers up Temple of The Dog’s “Hunger Strike” and “Wooden Jesus.”

Additionally, the set features a number of choice covers including the aforementioned “Thank You,” Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” and Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin.” Before the latter, Chris tells a humorous story about first hearing Bob Dylan performed by a nun in school. He then performs an updated version of the song he dubberd “The Times Are A-Changin’ Back.” For the final cover of the evening and encore opener, instead of “Imagine,” Chris plays the largely John Lennon-penned masterpiece, “A Day In The Life.”

To remember Chris Cornell, watch the singer-songwriter perform solo acoustic in 2016 below via the JamBase Live Video Archive:

First 18 Songs

Hunger Strike

Wooden Jesus

A Day In The Life

[Originally Published: May 18, 2021]