Rocker Cornell falters at the State

Band break ups aren't all that different from other relationships. Take Soundgarden for example. They broke up, and now Chris Cornell has hooked up with a new band, and if you liked the old coupling you will likely have a grudge against the new one. Relatedly if you never really cared for the old pairing, you'll be glad he's with someone new.

The audience at Cornell's solo show Friday at the State Theater was divided into these two camps. The pro-Soundgarden camp was pretty bored at the lack of energy evident throughout the set. The anti-Soundgarden contingent was merely happy that 85 percent of the set was on the CD they had bought and there was nothing to offend them.

Courtesy of A&M Records With his solo career, ex-Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell lacks inspiration.

Using up most of the better songs from his solo album early on in his set, the show dragged. The single "Can't Change Me" was used up as the second song of the set, to squeals of "I can remember this!" from the audience. The song wasn't even performed as well as the studio version. The song's power is apparently in the clarity of its sound, and the muddiness of playing live dilutes that.

"Flutter Girl" is improved over the album version. Overproduced and lifeless on the "Euphoria Morning," the song's playful darkness gained from the rawness of playing live. Unfortunately, it still fell short of the original stripped down version that was both enthralling and touching. The only song of the night with any emotive effect was "Preaching the End of the World." The song showcases the range of Cornell's voice without being a lifeless singer songwriter exercise, and the plaintiveness of the number was highlighted in performance.

Little else was memorable about the performance, however. Cornell walked around the stage like he'd had too much coffee, but as his music has turned largely lifeless, he had nothing interesting to do. The band, made up largely of members of the horrible group Eleven, at least had something to do with their hands.

The only time Cornell looked comfortable was during his solo performance of "Fell On Black Days," one of a couple holdovers from his Soundgarden days. He seemed much happier with a guitar in his hands and the others gone from the stage. So was the audience. Nevertheless, it retained the level of boredom that had become so integral to the show by that point.

In spite of being as entertaining as a barber shop, the show was not so stultifyingly boring that people were waiting for it to end. Though completely uninspired, there was no mass exodus to leave by the time the gap before the encore arrived. Even after the encore, itself no improvement over the main body of work for the night, there was no sense of a welcome overstayed. It's like a friend who has nothing good to say, but who is still your friend nonetheless. But that friend can only come around so often before you get sick of him. Someone better tell him.

11-22-99