Metallica, Foo Fighters, Audioslave, Soundgarden & more rock Chris Cornell tribute concert
Metallica, Foo Fighters, Geezer Butler, Taylor Momsen and members of Audioslave, Soundgarden and Temple of the Dog all performed at the Chris Cornell tribute concert in Los Angeles last night (16th January).
Taking place at the 17,500-capacity venue The Forum and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the ‘I Am The Highway: A Tribute To Chris Cornell’ event was held to raise money for two charities - the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation (EBMRF) and the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation, which helps vulnerable children across the globe.
The Melvins had the prestigious honour of kicking off proceedings and played six songs including their own tracks ‘The Kicking Machine’ and ‘Let It All Be’ plus an ultimate cover of Soundgarden’s ‘Spoonman’.
Foo Fighters performed a typically blistering four-song set that opened with a version of Soundgarden’s ‘No Attention’ and two songs Soundgarden themselves covered; Devo’s ‘Girl U Want’ and Cheech & Chong ‘Earache My Eye’.
Dedicating a solo electric version of Foo Fighters’ ‘Everlong’ to Chris Cornell, according to Ultimate Classic Rock, Dave Grohl said: "With all this love, the one person who could have appreciated it the most couldn’t be here tonight. So, I want to play one more song for him tonight."
Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme played two solo songs on the night; ‘Hand of Doom’ and the Johnny Cash version of Soundgarden’s ‘Rusty Cage’.
With Tim Commerford not present, Audioslave’s Tom Morello and Brad Wilk were joined by Black Sabbath legend Geezer Butler on ‘Cochise’ (with Perry Farrell on vocals) and ‘Be Yourself’ (with Juliette Lewis).
Chris Cheney played bass on Audioslave’s next two tracks ‘Set It Off’ and ‘Like a Stone’ which featured Rise Against’s Tim McIllrath and folk rocker Brandi Carlile on vocals respectively, and their set culminated with ‘Show Me How to Live’ with Robert Trujillo on bass and Dave Grohl fronting the band.
After comedian Jack Black took to the stage, Metallica played a snippet of ‘One’ before kicking things off properly with a version of Soundgarden's ‘All Your Lies’ followed by their own seminal classics ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ and ‘Master of Puppets’, before closing with Soundgarden’s 1988 track ‘Head Injury’.
Following Metallica’s set, Chris Cornell’s widow took to the stage where she told the audience: “It is so important to me that tonight be an intimate gathering of our closest friends and family, shared with his fans who loved him so much. This event showcases his contribution to music history across genres and generations.
“We all know how music can change us, but Chris did something more extraordinary – he changed music and paved the way for so many from Seattle to across the globe
“That legacy and his influence will live for generations to come. I am so proud that, along with his legacy, his philanthropic work continues to grow and flourish.
“Chris would be so very proud. Simply put, to me, and because of all of you, Chris lives on – a music immortal whose passion for helping others is more alive today than ever.”
Just like Audioslave, the surviving members of Soundgarden were joined by a veritable smorgasbord of guests during their set with The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen singing on ‘Rusty Cage’, ‘Drawing Flies’ and ‘Loud Love’, the latter of which also featured Tom Morello and MC5’s Wayne Kramer.
Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins and The Melvins’ Buzz Osborne guested on two Soundgarden songs - ‘I Awake’ and ‘The Day I Tried to Live’ - and the set culminated with Peter Frampton playing guitar on ‘Black Hole Sun’ with Brandi Carlile singing.
Temple of the Dog’s guests included Chris Stapleton, Miley Cyrus, Miguel and Fiona Apple.
Other acts who performed on the night included Rita Wilson (singing ‘The Promise’), Miley Cyrus (‘As Hope and Promise Fade’), Fiona Apple (‘All Night Thing’), Adam Levine (‘Seasons’ with Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard), Alain Johannes (‘Disappearing One’), Chris Stapleton (‘The Keeper’) and Ryan Adams (‘Dead Wishes’ and ‘Fell On Black Days’).
Poignantly, Chris Cornell’s teenage daughter Toni also covered Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’ with the late reggae legend’s son Ziggy Marley.
Hollywood megastars Brad Pitt and Josh Brolin also paid tribute to Chris Cornell on the night.
You can check out pictorial highlights from the 'I Am The Highway: A Tribute To Chris Cornell’ concert below. All photos are © Getty.