VinylGuy wrote:matt reeder wrote:Just got back from three straight days of Soundgarden.
Mind = blown. So many highlights. I'll get to them later.
still waiting for your review.
Night 1: 2/06 - Portland, OR
Setlist:
Been Away Too Long
My Wave
Worse Dreams
Jesus Christ Pose
Flower
Outshined
Spoonman
Room a Thousand Years Wide
Taree
Rhinosaur
Non-State Actor
Loud Love
Hunted Down
Drawing Flies
Blow Up the Outside World
Fell on Black Days
Big Dumb Sex
Tighter & Tighter
Ty Cobb
Bones of Birds
By Crooked Steps
Rowing
Encore:
Rusty Cage
Burden in My Hand
A Thousand Days Before
Slaves & Bulldozers
Verdict: Of the three shows I saw, this was the worst - but that's not saying much, because it was still a great show. I feel like they held back a bit, as the show was kind of subdued. The crowd was really mellow, and I think the band responded in kind. It was a very
Badmotorfinger/Superunknown crowd, or at least it was in my section. I felt like I was the only person excited about "Flower" or "Big Dumb Sex", or "Tighter & Tighter" for that matter. It was still great times, and it was great to hear all the new songs for the first time. "Bones of Birds" was a bit flat...it doesn't seem like they have it down yet. It's got some complicated chord changes and it may take them awhile to truly nail it. Don't fret - they had the same problem with a lot of the songs on
Superunknown. Also:
TY FUCKING COBB.
Night 2: 2/07 - Seattle, WA
Setlist:
Flower
Nothing to Say
Outshined
Jesus Christ Pose
Spoonman
Hands All Over
Gun
By Crooked Steps
Rhinosaur
Taree
My Wave
The Day I Tried to Live
Been Away Too Long
Worse Dreams
Hunted Down
Drawing Flies
Eyelid's Mouth (Matt's son Ray Cameron played additional guitar)
Blow Up the Outside World
Fell on Black Days
Live to Rise
Tighter & Tighter (with Mike McCready)
Non-State Actor
Ty Cobb
Rowing
Encore:
Rusty Cage
Beyond the Wheel
Verdict: Now we're talking. Walked right up to the box office and bought a floor ticket. What luck! Then got to listen to soundcheck from just outside the stage door - bonus Soundgarden! As for the show, the opening 7 songs might be the best opening I've ever seen. It felt like 1992, which is great because I was 11 in 1992 and couldn't get into shows like this. The band was clearly geeked out to be back in their hometown and responded with a set of old-school Soundgarden. The energy tapered off a bit later in the set as they started playing some of the new stuff, which is to be expected. It's only the second night and I'm already sick of "Rowing". I like the song but it's...just not the set closer I was hoping for (I REALLY, REALLY wanted to hear "Like Suicide"). As expected (I'd heard rumors), Mike McCready shows up to play "Tighter & Tighter" and the band absolutely nails the song. Great stuff. The encore is sick, even though it's only two songs (they cut "Pretty Noose", "Burden In My Hand" and "Blood On The Valley Floor"). "Beyond The Wheel" is otherworldly, straight out of the early days of Soundgarden. Even though they are only playing it once every 4-5 shows now it hasn't lost any of its intensity. I was surprised the show ended so early but hey, after all - I'm seeing them tomorrow night!
Night 3 - 2/08 - Seattle, WA
Setlist:
Incessant Mace
Big Dumb Sex
Get on the Snake
Hunted Down
Jesus Christ Pose
Let Me Drown
Room a Thousand Years Wide
By Crooked Steps
Attrition
Pretty Noose
Burden in My Hand
Been Away Too Long
Worse Dreams
The Day I Tried to Live
Ugly Truth
Eyelid's Mouth (Matt's son Ray Cameron played additional guitar)
Non-State Actor
Drawing Flies
Blow Up the Outside World
Fell on Black Days
Zero Chance
Blood on the Valley Floor
Superunknown
Rusty Cage
Encore:
Ty Cobb
Black Hole Sun
Slaves & Bulldozers
Verdict: The best of the 3 shows I saw, but slightly disappointing due to a bit of sloppiness on the band's part and a crowd full of fratboys and weird junkie chicks - and a curfew that forced the band to skip "Mailman" in their encore.
Got second row, right behind the rail just walking in. The crowd was great from the get-go, and got really into the opening quartet of
OLLLLLLDDDDDD songs. "Get On The Snake"!!! The band was into it and Chris was in a great mood. They played what was either a new song or a really tight improv before "Burden In My Hand" that sounded awesome - straight-up classic Soundgarden. Also: "Zero Chance"!!! It was sloppy but really great to hear. Check out the last 4 songs of the main set: Zero Chance > Blood On The Valley Floor > Superunknown > Rusty Cage. It DOES NOT get any better than that. The encore was awesome but I was hoping for something out of left field, something unexpected (like, say, "Mailman")...so it was slightly underwhelming in that respect. I was actually quite stoked to hear "Black Hole Sun" again and I cannot complain about any of those 3 songs. I just wish they would have played "Mailman" too. All in all, it was a great show and a great cap to my 3 show run.
Go see them when they come to your town!