rock goddess recap by militia.

Last time they were in the area was at the Prudential Center in Jersey in 2011, but I couldn’t resist seeing them in a smaller venue.  I wanted to hear the old shit loud enough to make my insides shake, not booming and echoing through a sports arena.  So I hustled to get the hottest tickets in town, like my devotion to grunge depended on it… and I was lucky to score passes to both Live on Letterman and the coveted Irving Plaza show.  

Live on Letterman was cool.  They gave their few hundred guests a 1 hour set of 10 songs. Initially, it was strange to see grunge royalty in such a sterile setting as a tv studio but they’ve fucking earned it considering their lengthy career and several commercial hit songs… most of which, they did NOT entertain us with that night.  Yeah, they played “Fell on Black Days” but that was the only hit they did, and many attendees were pissy about it.  Their short set was mostly songs off King Animal- songs that no one had even heard yet because the album wasn’t due out till the next day.  But I didn’t care.  I was living for the old gems they whipped out of their catalog- “Incessant Mace” and a truly devastatingly heavy version of “Beyond The Wheel” from their debut album “Ultramega OK” (1988) that made the lighting tru

sses over my head rattle. Now that’s what I came for. ; )

Matt Pinfield was in the house, who I knew from my TV VJing and Hosting days- always great to see him at rock shows.  For the kids that don’t know, Matt Pinfield is a Host and VJ on MTV2’s 120 Minutes, amongst other things… and in the 90’s 120 Minutes was gospel.  MTV recently came to their senses and now that show is back on the air with Pinfield and he had just interviewed Soundgarden earlier that day.  (Cool job, eh?)  Hear that interview here: http://soundcloud.com/fmqb-productions/sets/inside-soundgarden-king-animal

The icing on the cake, heartthrob lead vox Chris Cornell twisted and writhed as his voice spun like silk from his mouth, soaring effortlessly and consistent over SG’s signature steady sludge.  YUM.  Occasionally, I could tell by large eyes and confronting stances the SG guys were still fleshing out a few parts in the new music.  Something that my inner teen would have rather not have bared witness to but whatev- even those awkward moments beat out any new modern rock band at their best in my opinion.  At the end of the day, they’re fucking Soundgarden, they fucking rock and it’s great to have them back.

LIVE ON LETTERMAN

NOVEMBER 12, 2012 8PM

Live at the Ed Sullivan Theater, Times Square NYC

Setlist:

1. Worse Dreams

2. By Crooked Steps

3. Incessant Mace

4. Beyond The Wheel

5. Taree

6. A Thousand Days Before

7. Eyelid’s Mouth

8. Non-State Actor

9. Fell On Black Days

10. Rowing

Next “Rock Goddess Recap” -SOUNDGARDEN PART 2, Irving Plaza.

twitter: @militiaismyname