Soundgarden Show They're Still Rulers of Grunge

When I told a couple of friends of mine that I was seeing Soundgarden, one of them smirked and asked if another obscure band from the 90s was also going to be playing. I think she referenced Third Eye Blind or Matchbox Twenty, but I don’t remember. These are the same friends whose wedding song was by the Dave Matthews Band and have been to numerous Phish concerts together. Let’s just say that Soundgarden is not their brand of rock.

I think the main source of ridicule was that the concert was going to be at the same time of the AFC Championship, where my beloved New England Patriots would be playing the Baltimore Ravens for a trip to the Super Bowl. I knew a couple of months ago when I purchased the tickets that it would be on the same night of the game, and also knew the Pats had a very good chance of playing in the game. But two factors sold me on buying the tickets. First it would be at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, an intimate venue that holds 2,700 people. The second was that I didn’t have to work the next day. Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King.

So on the night of the show, I had my plan in place. With the game kicking off at 6:30 and the show scheduled at 8:00, I would head into Boston and watch the first half of the game while recording it on my DVR at home. I would go into the show, turn off my phone, and attempt to avoid all human contact on my way out of the show so I would not learn the final score of the game. Believe it or not, I was able to pull it off successfully, only to watch the Pats put up a stinker in the second half and lose decisively 28-13.

I will say that with all the ridicule and torment of missing the game live, I have no regrets of attending the show. Until this year, Soundgarden has not released new music since 1996, and I have always said if they ever made a comeback that I was going to see them live. They brought an infusion of metal, blues and punk to the grunge movement of the early 90s, and became a lasting influence on the Seattle music scene along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains. Their 1994 release, Superunknown, is still one of my favorite rock albums.

The show did not disappoint either. With no flash or extravagant stage gimmicks, they ripped through a total of twenty six songs, ranging from classics, deep cuts, and a handful of tracks from their solid new record King Animal. It was just Matt Cameron’s hammering drums, Ben Shepperd’s thunderous bass, Kim Thayil’s wailing guitars and Chris Cornell’s howling vocals, all you could ask for in a rock show. Even after all of these years, Cornell’s voice still sounds as strong as ever.

Being a product of the 90s, and in a day in age where many rock acts are lacking, it was a great feeling to be brought back to a familiar era where rock music made a difference. Cornell sings “I’ve been away for too long” on the opening track from King Animal. I couldn’t agree more.

Now if I can only follow suit and avoid all the talk of “The Harbaugh Bowl” for the next couple of weeks.