Who Is On Tour With Soundgarden?
Everyone's favorite Soundgarden is back again in an announcement for their 2023 tour, but who will be performing shoulder to shoulder with them on stage?
It's been over 27 years since Soundgarden rose from the ashes of Seattle as a key figure in the grunge scene, and the band is now preparing for a tour in 2023. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago, the band's lead vocalist, Chris Cornell, often considered one of the best vocalists in the entire history of rock music, died due to suicide. Nonetheless, the rest of Soundgarden—"Kim T Thayil, Ben Shepherd, and Matt Ameron"—will be following through with Cornell's spirit and performing in another tour. They revealed recently a list of North American shows starting in March, accompanied by select opening acts.
In Cornell's place, a different star of rock voices chosen by the band will temporarily be on lead vocals to honor the fallen icon. The first on the list is Taylor Momsen, who is now the lead singer of the New York-based rock band, The Pretty Reckless. Currently, Momsen wails and screams through her music, which can be described as grungy rocker, and it does seem that she could be an ideal candidate to pay tribute to Cornell's sound. She is going to be the one hosting the mic for the initial couple of weeks of the tour.
Following is Marcus Durant, lead vocalist of heavy alt rock zen guerrilla. His vocal abilities are soulful but also quite aggressive and should be adequate to handle the demands of Soundgarden's discography. Other artists included in the lineup are Donna Missal, an indie singer with a bluesy voice and attitude, and Jennifer Finch of L7, the riot grrrl band best known for such hits as Pretend We're Dead.
For parts of the tour, Cameron is going to be sitting in the drum chair with Pearl Jam, while he is also a member of Soundgarden, a band he co-founded. When other engagements call him away, then the duties of a drummer will be taken by Will Hunt of Evanescence or Bubba DuPree of Void. Ben's bassist position will temporarily be occupied by Trevor Dunn, a veteran bassist who is well-known for being a member of the band Mr. Bungle.
This list of musicians also ensures that the group, which is the instrumental backbone of Soundgarden, ensures fans are taken through a tour of the band's career through classic songs like Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, and songs that may not be that popular. Expecting various and more complex vocal backing from these incredible guests means the shows will remain new while paying homage to Cornell's uniqueness.
Of the fourteen players on the roster, the one most likely to breakout on the tour appears to be Momsen. Having formed The Pretty Reckless in her late teens, she has been churning out aggressive Led Zeppelin-influenced hard rock at the tender age of 29. Still, after foolishly gaining popularity with songs such as Heaven Knows and Going to Hell, Momsen is eager to take an even bigger risk.
I feel privileged beyond measure to be in a position to be part of this," she said. Soundgarden will always remain one of my biggest influences; I'd like to say that the band was my first real inspiration. Chris Cornell was a voice, you know? There is no one who can replace him; however, I am glad they trusted me to be able to sing a tribute to him.
Marcus Durant is also under a lot of pressure owing to the gargantuan task that awaits him; he proclaims Cornell as one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time, if not the greatest.
Speaking to the media after the game, Durant was quoted as saying, I can't even try to emulate what he did out there. However, I will try to give my best for Chris' sake, and as for the passion and fire he had in singing, he was unique.
The band understood that there's no one who can copy Cornell's almost supernatural abilities, no matter how good a singer is. Therefore, instead of focusing on a certain image and staying loyal to it, the instrumentalists of Soundgarden have invited individual artists to contribute their styles to the album and bring the element of surprise that can be felt when discovering new musicians or bands for the first time.
Instead of trying to look for someone to mimic Chris, which is virtually an impossible task to do, the band thought that it would be more fun and interesting for the performers as well as the spectators to create this lineup of changing singers with unique personalities.
It is, of course, a phenomenal lineup of singers with the capability to manage our discography, Thayil added. They all bring the fire and edge that is needed, said one fan, commenting that Chris would have benefited from the passion that they are going to bring in the field. We are eager to get out there.
The rotation of vocals guarantees that those dedicated enthusiasts of the singers, as well as those occasional attendees, will be more interested in several visits as they try to guess how the same songs will be performed differently by the guest artists. With them, Soundgarden can reinvent themselves each night depending on the setting, while always having the powerful instrumentals as a consistent comfort zone.
It will be nothing short of a joy to see the veteran group perform again on stage, and this is something that I know that Cornell's death had left a lot of fans thinking that they would never get to see them again. In the upcoming tour, it is possible to honor all the years dedicated to the creation of music and to transfer the Soundgarden legacy to those who will come next.
See them on a club tour with one of the various singers they tend to use when they are performing live, playing the sludge riffs and monolithic grooves that ignited a revolution in rock. It will be a feel-and-forget occasion for each on the platform.
