Soundgarden

Soundgarden opened their co-headlining tour with Nine Inch Nails this past Saturday night in Las Vegas, at the AXIS, Powered by Monster, Theatre at Planet Hollywood Resort Casino.

[Photos by Jo Anna Jackson, from a previous concert covered by MusicTourReviews.com]

Soundgarden returned to Las Vegas on July 19, 2014, the eve of Chris Cornell’s 50th birthday. Chris didn’t mention that fact but he did mention this year marks 20 years since their most well known album, Superunknown, was released. Much time has passed since the early days of Soundgarden but Chris Cornell and his distinctive voice are unchanged by the years.

Soundgarden kicked off with Searching With My Good Eye Closed from Badmotorfinger with bassist Ben Shepherd roaming through the crowd. I noticed when they took the stage that guitarist Kim Thayil and I have a mutual appreciation for great metal as he was rocking a Mastodon shirt onstage.

The set was packed with songs from Badmotorfinger and Superunknown with a couple songs from their latest album King Animal. At the end of the set bassist Ben Shepherd appeared to be having technical issues and when his bass tech ran onto stage to try to help Ben shoved the guy back into the shadows. As the song closed Ben Shepherd pushed over his bass rig, sending amps and cabinets crashing to the floor as he stormed off the stage. Chris Cornell followed while the drums and guitar played on. Then Matt Chamberlain (filling in for Soundgarden’s drummer, Matt Cameron, who is currently on tour with Pearl Jam) threw his sticks in the air as he exited the stage leaving Kim Thayil alone on the stage, waving to the fans as he walked away. That’s live Rock & Roll, you just never know what’s going to happen!

Soundgarden setlist, July 19, 2014:

Searching With My Good Eye Closed
Spoonman
Non-State Actor
Fell on Black Days
Let Me Drown
Outshined
Black Hole Sun
Jesus Christ Pose
Like Suicide
The Day I Tried to Live
My Wave
Superunknown
A Thousand Days Before
Rusty Cage
Beyond the Wheel