Chris Cornell at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA. Photo by Clay Lancaster (claylancaster.com)

Chris Cornell at the Fillmore, San Francisco. Songbook Tour Volume 1.

If you would have told me that I would be standing in awe of a man and his guitar on the stage at The Fillmore, I would have told you that you were crazy. However, that is exactly what happened last night at the iconic space in San Francisco. The largely loyal and sold out crowd was glued to Chris Cornell who took the stage by himself last night. Cornell began the night getting the entire crowd to be quiet as if to assert his power over the crowd which the crowd happily accommodated.

Cornell started his set of with “Be Yourself” which set the tone for the rest of the night. While Cornell mixed in some stories from his life in between the songs, most people were more interested in hearing the hits that have made his voice so memorable. It is that voice that will keep him among the great Lead Singers in rock history.

I was never a big Soundgarden or Temple of the Dog fan when I was younger but I always thought that Chris’ voice was so unique. He definitely has a gift. Overall the show felt more like one of those backstage acoustic shows that bands do for a select number of fans instead of a concert. The Fillmore simply provided a backdrop for this acoustic concert that seemed to last forever. Some of the songs Cornell sang last night included “Black Hole Sun”, “Fell on Black Days”, “Like Suicide”, and “Ground Zero.” -JC

(Photos by CLAY LANCASTER)

A full playlist can be found below:

Be Yourself
Redemption Song (Bob Marley Cover)
Like a Stone
I Am The Highway
Fell On Black Days
Like Suicide
Billy Jean (Michael Jackson Cover)
Burden In My Hand
Black Hole Sun
Scream
Imagine (John Lennon Cover)
Thank You (Led Zeppelin)
Man of Golden Words (Mother Love Bone Cover)
Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd Cover)