Well...I was lucky enough to score a couple of tix to the opening night of Audioslave's first North American Tour. For those who aren't familiar with the band, Audioslave consists of
Tom Morello, Tim C. & Brad Wilk from Rage Against the Machine and Chris Cornell from Soundgarden.
Luckily for me, they decided to begin their tour in Denver at the gorgeous Fillmore West Auditorium. GREAT venue with terrific sound and a very cool vibe. We arrived just in time to miss the opening act, which was perfect.
It was a sold out show of around 3500, so the place was quite full. But, one nice thing about the Fillmore is that there are excellent sight lines from just about anywhere. We hung out at the back of the floor, and were able to see everything perfectly.
Once the show began, the crowd really crammed towards the stage. The sound was GREAT and the band was really "on". Chris Cornell's vocals were mixed perfectly, and were very clear above the band. He had a few issues with some of the higher notes, and it seemed that he was having a hard time hearing himself onstage. But, he sounded great! Tom Morello's tone was killer, and his playing was nothing short of inspired. Plenty of Whammy-work, and a bounty of Tom's signature sound effects.
It was refreshing to see the band having a good time onstage. I'd seen R.A.T.M. twice before, and both shows had a very somber vibe. This show was anything but.
They played their entire debut album, as well as a single cover in the middle of the set (I believe it was a Parliament Funkadelic tune). Great sound, great show. Audioslave definitely proved that they are more than just a "supergroup" riding the hype of their past accomplishments. They'll definitely be a great addition to this summer's Lollapalooza lineup.
