Some of the biggest rock acts currently on tour took a moment over the weekend to pay tribute to Chris Cornell, the Soundgarden vocalist and rhythm guitarist who died Wednesday night in an apparent suicide.
U2 played “Black Hole Sun” through the PA system before taking the stage at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, then dedicated the song “Running To Stand Still” to Cornell during the concert:
Aerosmith showed a large portrait of Cornell on the screen as “Black Hole Sun” played over the PA system before the first encore during a performance in the nation of Georgia on Saturday. When the band emerged from backstage, lead singer Steven Tyler bowed to the portrait, held a moment of silence and dedicated “Dream On” to Cornell:
Metallica’s James Hetfield said, “We forgive you, Chris” after the band played “Unforgiven” during its show in Boston on Friday. Bassist Rob Trujillo also played some of “Black Hole Sun” during his solo:
Ryan Adams performed “Black Hole Sun” during a performance in New Zealand on Saturday:
Cornell was also honored on Friday with a video tribute at the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio, where Soundgarden had been scheduled to perform.
A number of bands at the event dedicated songs to the late singer as well. Corey Taylor of Slipknot was joined by his Stone Sour bandmate Christian Martucci for a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” in honor of Cornell:
Queensryche, performing in Mississippi on Saturday, played “Say Hello To Heaven,” a song from Temple of the Dog, another of Cornell’s bands:
The Cult debuted a song called “Sound and Fury” on Thursday and dedicated it to Cornell.
Before introducing the song, singer Ian Astbury said, “Today is a very hard day for us. Chris Cornell... C’mon, get it out. If you’ve got tears, now is the time to let it go. Everything... fucking everything. All of it. All the shame, all the fucking regret, the things you didn’t do, the people you didn’t tell that you loved that left, the girl that left, the guy that left. Young brother, life, it’s profound, it’s fragile. You know, we all make choices.”
Jam band Umphrey’s McGee performed the Temple of the Dog tune “Hunger Strike” during its concert on Thursday in Norfolk, Virginia:
Even the long-running radio show “A Prairie Home Companion” honored Cornell. Host Chris Thile and his house band were joined by Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek for a performance of “Black Hole Sun.” That can be heard at 1:52:50 at this link.
H/T JamBase
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HELLO to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.
Before You Go
