concert last night at the Gorge online, except a fluff piece at a newspaper website. Perhaps those who went to the concert are still recovering. I know I am damn tired from driving back to Portland afterwards, and my hearing is definitely still recovering. However, I will attempt to do what few have done so far and put into words what I experienced. I figure my media journalism and review writing experience will give me a leg up as well.I never saw Soundgarden
the first time around. I've been playing catch-up with the grunge bands I like, seeing Alice in Chains
at the second date on their reunion tour and finally seeing King's X
live a couple of years ago when they came through time. I had to cap it all off with this show. (Sorry, I'm not a huge Pearl Jam
fan, so they're not on my list to see.)For those who have never been to the Gorge Amphitheater, first of all it is in almost the exact middle of the state of Washington. The highway there from Seattle is quite broad and beautiful no doubt but the route from Portland takes you through terrain so sparse it feels like a Hunter S. Thompson
road trip sometimes. The Amphitheater itself is in the a barren yet gorgeous spot by the river. It is very well designed, with an excellent view from nearly anywhere in the huge amphitheater, at least if you're tall like I am.I missed most of the Meat Puppets' set, though I heard most of it from the parking area as I was walking in. It definitely was the most upbeat sounding of the bands there. I caught most of Mastodon's set. Their bassist is a pretty great performer, but otherwise they were like they are on their records - just a little too cerebral and sludgy to hold my interest, despite the sometimes interesting prog-rock stylings. The Queens of the Stone Age
were better, but still only OK as far as stage performance goes. I'm sure some or all of these bands would have put on even more of a show if they weren't just openers.I made my way down to the pit for Soundgarden
itself, fully aware of the risk I was putting my ears in and willing to pay that price. The smells that tend to waft through pits wafted through them. The crowd was fairly polite all told, however. If I had really wanted to, I probably could have pushed my way almost all the way to the stage. I'm tall though, so that would be mean.The band came out with a set that was a bit more down-tempo than their other shows have been. It dipped fairly deeply into their catalog. There are set lists online already, so I won't bother you with that. Suffice it to say, they played every song I had hoped they would, and even some I didn't remember.
When they busted out Jesus Christ Pose
, I was delighted, and within a few minutes The Day I Tried to Live
followed. That's all I usually would have asked and more than I expected.When they played Black Hole Sun
just over an hour into the concert, I was worried that I might not get my money's worth of songs out of them. They are not a band that simply plays up to their one big single and then quits, it turns out. They continued for an hour longer at least, including hits like Outshined and Superunknown
and lesser known but well appreciated tracks. It was a truly surreal experience to stand in a grunge/hard rock mosh pit surrounded by mostly drunk people singing "Show me the power, child. I'd like to say that I'm down on my knees today" in what I and probably most of the audience knows is a reference to prayer. That was fitting, however, as the style of music and natural venue definitely lent a little of a ritual or ceremonial air to the entire thing. Not to mention that Chris
was sporting the Jesus look something fierce. (Exactly like Jesus Christ Superstar 2000
, if you ever saw that.)Speaking of Chris
, he seemed to struggle a little bit vocally throughout the set; more towards the end of it than at the beginning. He only punted on a couple of lines, but he sounded strained on several notes. With the kind of range those songs are written for and the rigours of age, it's no surprise. Not to mention being near the end of the tour rather than the beginning. It did, however, make me wish just a little that I had seen them in the old days. Kim Thayal's
guitar work most mostly stellar, but he was not a particularly intense stage performer. Matt Cameron
kicked ass the entire way through in a set with some of the most complex rhythms you'll likely ever hear in a mainstream rock show, and he's a hell of a performer, too. Ben's
bass work was integral and his performance was pretty good, though not quite as energetic as the bassist of Queens of the Stone Age
.The stage show was pretty good, although some of the projected visuals worked better than others. As a film person, I guess I expected a little bit more from them or a little less dated of visuals, though one particular sequence for Superunknown took on an interesting look like a visualizer that dynamically creates a stained-glass window. They have a pretty intricate setup that moves as songs dictate. Chris was a good performer, interacting with the crowd and taking a cell phone video for a member of the crowd at one point. He's more sedate on stage than some performers, but he definitely still has stage presence.
I got what I wanted and needed from my Soundgarden
concert experience. I definitely felt like I got my money's worth as far as the number of songs. Excellent. Now I can die in peace, having completed my tour of grunge bands I love but worried I might never get to see. If I go see another one live again, though, it'll probably be King's X
. I hope this review is useful to people. Did you see the show? How was it? Did you see another show since their reunion? How does it seem to compare. Leave me some comments and link to my post, or share it, or what-not.
