Chris Cornell Announces Solo Acoustic Tour

Not quite the tour news Soundgarden fans have been waiting for since the band reformed but surely close enough for some as lead man Chris Cornell is announced to play two solo shows here in October.

Sunday 2nd October, Michale Fowler Centre, Wellington
Tuesday 4th October, ASB Theatre, Auckland

Cornell will be performing songs from throughout his career - ticketing details below.

Here's a taste of what you could be in for - Cornell performing an acoustic version of "Black Hole Sun" a few years back (poor image quality but good sound):

Press Release:

CHRIS CORNELL 'Songbook' Solo Acoustic Tour – October 2011

CHRIS CORNELL, the Grammy winning rock icon and one of the greatest male voices of our time, brings his solo acoustic “Songbook” tour to New Zealand theatres in October after his hugely successful sold out run in the United States.

Having sold over 21 million albums, Cornell has experienced both critical and commercial success as a singer/songwriter for his bands Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog, as well as his own solo work.

Performing alone on stage, Chris Cornell will spotlight songs from throughout his illustrious career, as well as a few surprise covers.

New Zealand audiences will have the chance to see Chris perform unplugged, up close and personal - an event many fans have been eagerly anticipating for years.

Within this alternative setting, Cornell can easily interact with the audience and share insights about his music. Familiar songs emerge in a new context, showing that great songwriting translates to any idiom.

Tickets for his two New Zealand shows go on sale 9am, Friday, June 10.

US critics have raved about his just completed, totally sold out US tour:

“Chris Cornell still possesses the best voice in rock music...one of the most important artists to ever walk the face of the earth.” – Rick Florino, Artist Direct

"The two-hour, nearly two-dozen-song performance was a master class in the fine art of solo performance” – Sarah Rodman, Boston Globe

“Sometimes you don't recognize the full power of a voice until you strip everything away from it....how rare his timbre remains.”- Jim Farber,New York Daily News

“Charismatic, quick-witted and good-looking with a killer voice” – Jane Stevenson, Toronto Sun

"He can make any noise between whisper and scream sound musical." - Dave McKenna, Washington Post

Chris Cornell has the ability to connect with listeners like few others of our time. He has maintained his own unique identity over more than two decades as a singer, songwriter, and lyricist. He has been heralded as one of the pioneers of the grunge era for writing a string of hits for Soundgarden, including the Grammy award-winning “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman.”

In 1991, Chris formed Temple of the Dog, writing classic song “Hunger Strike” featuring a duet with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.

In 2000, Cornell joined former Rage Against the Machine members (Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk) in Audioslave and wrote a series of the band’s hits including “Like a Stone,” “Be Yourself” and “Doesn’t Remind Me”. Cornell continued to shine as a solo artist writing songs such as “Can’t Change Me,” and “Mission”, which was included on the soundtrack to the film Mission Impossible II.

His songs have been recorded by diverse artists from Johnny Cash to Alice Cooper, and his movie soundtrack credits include hit theme song “You Know My Name” for James Bond thriller Casino Royale, one of the most successful instalments of the spy franchise to date.

Keep looking for updates on the “Songbook” series on www.chriscornell.com.

Don’t miss Chris Cornell appearing at:

WELLINGTON MICHAEL FOWLER CENTRE SUNDAY OCTOBER 2
Ticketek Ph: 0800 Ticketek / www.ticketek.co.nz

AUCKLAND ASB THEATRE TUESDAY OCTOBER 4
The Edge Ph: 0800 Buy Tickets / www.buytickets.co.nz

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, JUNE 10
Pre-sales begin JUNE 7 (FAN CLUB) & JUNE 8, ending June 10