Pop Culture

Soundgarden: Live on I-5

By Andy Frisk
March 22, 2011 - 21:30

Long suffering fans of the 1990s grunge/Gen X music revolution lost one of their core bands nearly 14 years ago. We got them back about a year ago. Euphoria and expectations were high. There were rumors of a new album, tour, the works. Chris Cornell, the band's lead singer, declared that school was back in session etc. etc…Then came Telephantasm. It was a greatest hits album that only included one new song, the unreleased “Black Rain.” Rumors of new material still abounded…Then came Live on I-5.

Live on I-5 is definitely an improvement over Telephantasm. Live on I-5 is a live greatest hits package. This time at least it is something that most of Soundgarden Nation doesn’t already own. Well…we might have some bootlegs lying around…but a fully produced, official, and packaged bootleg we don’t have. Granted, Soundgarden doesn’t owe their fans anything, and we should all just shut our traps and wait patiently for new material. At least they’ve gotten back together, and we have that. (Hopefully though, Matt Cameron will still find time to beat the skins for Pearl Jam too. He’s hands down the best drummer the grunge era produced and not a bad songwriter in his own right.) Anyway... it honestly kind of made good business sense for a band of Soundgarden’s stature, and potential risk as a returning act, to test the waters with a greatest hits package and follow it up with their first ever official live album release. It has been over a decade, and the music scene is dominated by…uh, unique…acts like Lady Gaga, and…ahem…respectable…acts like The Black Eyed Peas. Oh screw it...why sugar coat it? Lady Gaga is a bad Madonna rip off and The Black Eyed Peas are terrible. We need more Soundgarden and their ilk to really shake things up. After grunge imploded, admittedly under the weight of its own heavy emotions, and No Doubt paved the way for silliness to be cool again, things in the world of music haven’t been so great. Again, we need more Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice and Chains, Smashing Pumpkins and the like to clear our collective music palettes of the horrible likes of the nu-metal gang and the silly pop stars who can’t stay out of rehab or raise their kids right. Long live the grunge!

Ah the memories...

Okay, I got a little carried away there and my 18 year old self took back over for a second. Seriously, though Soundgarden represents an era in music where maybe the bands weren’t as fluffy and escapist or fun…but they meant something and dealt with some serious topics and themes. Hearing them live again for an extended time will remind us Gen X’ers of the good ole days. That’s what Live on I-5 does. For the first time in over a decade, I’m hearing one of my favorite bands live for an extended time again. The album is loaded with their greatest hits, of course. There is a healthy helping of their hits such as “Spoonman,” “Rusty Cage,” “Outshined,” “Fell on Black Days,” “Burden in My Hand,” and “Black Hole Sun.” There’s also a healthy dose of deeper cuts that long time fans will appreciate like “Let Me Drown,” “Nothing to Say,” and “Head Down.” Finally, there are two great covers. One of “Waiting for The Sun” by The Doors (one of the album’s standout tracks) and “Helter Skelter” by The Beatles. “Helter Skelter” in fact is the first of a four string set of songs that seamlessly weave together and form the core listening experience of the album. Chronologically the listing is “Helter Skelter”, “Boot Camp,” “Nothing to Say,” and “Slaves and Bulldozers.” Soundgarden fans familiar with these songs can see how these songs blend musically and will really appreciate the consecutive listing of these songs. Fans new to Soundgarden have a great experience ahead of them upon first listen…



…and new fans are pretty much what the guys in Soundgarden are testing the waters for these days. They’ll be there. Telephantasm was all about reintroduction and finding new fans. Live on I-5 starts to redirect the focus to keeping the old fans happy, and when the new material comes out (Cornell promises they are writing it now) fans old and new should be happy. Again though, Soundgarden live, as great as it was, is, and will be again, should be nothing compared to Soundgarden new.  

Rating: 8 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12