Setlist (Complete)

Band Members

Show Notes

So here it is - after 17 years of fandom I finally get to see Soundgarden.

What a show it was - I could not possibly have picked better opening acts (though I think Mudhoney would have really completed the day). I had never seen the Meat Puppets and of course, they were fantastic. All three songs that Nirvana covered 1984's II, plus "Backwater" and three other songs. Mastodon was fucking heavy, intense and mindblowing. It had been 8 years since I had seen Queens Of The Stone Age and they were better than I expected, even sans Nick and Mark; they won me back within three songs.

And then came Soundgarden. The opening quartet of "Searching...", "Spoonman", "Gun" and "Jesus Christ Pose" set the crowd off. People were going apeshit while I just stood and stared, unable to believe what I was witnessing. This was exactly how I imagined it. Watching Kim Thayil play guitar was a revelation; seeing Ben tromp menacingly across the stage was too much fun; hearing Chris sing "IS IT TO THE SKY????" was heaven; and last but not least, seeing Matt Cameron play the opening drum intro "Jesus Christ Pose" was a dream come true. If I gush, it's because it was too good to be true.

The setlist was just awesome. Even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined I would hear "Ugly Truth", "The Day I Tried To Live", "Hunted Down" and "Beyond The Wheel". All of those were great versions. Still, there was only one thing that could have made the night complete, one thing that would set me off - and after "Rusty Cage", they played it. Seeing "Head Down" live was a lifelong dream, one I never imagined would come true. They clearly love playing it as they were really into it. Ben stomped around the stage, coming over to rock out with my section towards the end. At the end of the song, Matt's son Ray came out to join his dad and Ben on the drum outro while Kim soloed motionless in front of us. It fucking ruled.

The encore was awesome. I was hoping for "Nothing to Say", "Hands All Over" or "Mailman" but "Room A Thousand Years Wide" was a nice surprise. And then came "Beyond The Wheel". Words cannot express how intense this song is live. It is just...sick. Once again, I stood there with my jaw agape. How can anyone possibly sing along to that song? How can Chris still sing that at age 47? Wonders never cease. They concluded the evening as expected with a titanic version of "Slaves & Bulldozers". As the feedback rang out throughout the Gorge, I looked around at all the happy faces. Soundgarden was back and better than ever.

Come back soon, guys. We miss you already. And play some more Down On The Upside next time. 🙂

"Loud Love", "Hands All Over", and "Mailman" were on the setlist but not played. "Gun" was added to the setlist and "Room A Thousand Years Wide" was moved to the encore.

Recordings

Source Gen Equipment Notes Circulating?
AUD #4 unknown digital audience recording No
AUD #3 WAV audience audio Schoeps MK4s > Nbox > Edirol R-09 Yes
AUD #2 WAV audience audio Core Sound binaurals > Battery Box w/Bass Rolloff > iRiver iHP-120 Yes
AUD #1 WAV audience audio Sonic Studios > Sony M10 Yes
AMT #1a Unknown audience video Zoom Q3HD > 24-bit PCM lossless audio Yes
AMT #1 Unknown audience video Zoom Q3HD No