Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell takes solo acoustic tour to the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Oct. 17
From a press release:
Multi-Grammy award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated, and acclaimed singer/songwriter Chris Cornell has announced solo acoustic tour dates for fall 2015. The multi-city trek, which visits the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, Oct. 17, will also include stops at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theatre in Austin, Walt Disney Theatre in Los Angeles, Chicago Theatre in Chicago and, locally, the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia on Oct. 15 and the Beacon Theatre in New York on Oct. 18.
The tour will provide fans the chance to see the iconic rocker perform in an unplugged, up close and personal setting and will include songs spanning his entire career, as well as new material from his highly anticipated forthcoming studio album, “Higher Truth,” produced by Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Neil Young) and scheduled for release this fall. $1 from every ticket sold will go to the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation, an organization that supports children facing tough challenges, including homelessness, poverty, abuse, and neglect.
Starting today at 10 a.m. through Thursday, June 4 at 10 p.m., fans who signed up for Chris Cornell’s e-mail list will receive an exclusive link and code word to purchase tickets in advance of the public on-sale date. American Express card members can get advance tickets beginning this Wednesday, June 3 at 10 a.m.
A special Kirby Member pre-sale will begin on Thursday, June 4 at 10 a.m., and tickets for the general public will go on sale beginning Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. at the Kirby Center box office, online at kirbycenter.org, and by phone at 570-826-1100.
Cornell is a modern iconic innovator who transcends genre. He was one of the chief architects of the ’90s grunge movement and remains one of the best rock voices of all time. Achieving multi-platinum success with three legendary bands – selling over 30 million records worldwide – he has forged his own unique identity over three decades as a Grammy award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and lyricist. His career began with Seattle trailblazers Soundgarden, whose wild soundscapes combined visceral punk attitude with artistic depth. Powerfully original, they were the first of their generation of Seattle bands to sign to a major label in 1989, and their work continued to evolve over the course of seven groundbreaking albums. Soundgarden made a historic return to the live stage in 2010 and have since toured the world, releasing the all-new studio album, “King Animal,” to widespread acclaim.
Cornell has continually redefined his sound and vision. In 1990, side project Temple of the Dog saw him experiment with a more soulful style alongside the future members of Pearl Jam. Later in the decade, his critically acclaimed solo album “Euphoria Morning” combined lush melody and instrumentation with lyrics which spoke of alienation and despair. And as the millennium turned, he joined with three other musical pioneers from Rage Against the Machine to create supergroup Audioslave. The multi-platinum band released three albums and toured stadiums around the world, becoming the first American rock group to perform a massive free concert in Castro’s Cuba. Cornell has also collaborated with many different artists, most recently the Zac Brown Band on their single “Heavy Is the Head,” which peaked at No. 1 on rock radio in the U.S.
His soundtrack work has spanned both big budget and independent cinema. He was the first male American artist to write and perform the theme song for a James Bond movie (“You Know My Name” for “Casino Royale”). With Soundgarden, he wrote the end title song “Live to Rise” for “The Avengers,” the third highest grossing film of all time. He duetted with Joy Williams on his song “Misery Chain,” which appeared on the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning “12 Years a Slave,” and his song “The Keeper” from Marc Forster’s “Machine Gun Preacher” was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2012.
Cornell’s recent solo acoustic “Songbook” tour attracted sellout crowds and critical acclaim worldwide. Jim Farber of the New York Daily News observed, “Sometimes you don’t recognize the full power of a voice until you strip everything away from it.” The tour’s reinterpretations of classic Cornell songs are featured on his 2011 live album of the same name.
Cornell has also become involved in philanthropy, using music to support causes that help foster change. The Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation is currently raising funds and partnering with charitable organizations to mobilize support for children in need.
He has also just finished recording “Higher Truth,” his fifth solo album to date, which reflects an expressive intimacy similar to that of “Songbook” while also displaying his evolution and growth as a master craftsman songwriter. This new powerful addition to his catalogue will be released this fall.
For more information on Cornell or tickets, visit chriscornell.com.
