Watch Ryan Adams Cover Soundgarden’s ‘Black Hole Sun’
As we've documented many times over the years, Ryan Adams doesn't need much of an excuse to play a cover song. Still, Chris Cornell's death last week gave him a perfectly valid reason, and he honored the late Soundgarden singer's life by singing their biggest hit, "Black Hole Sun."
The performance took place at the Civic Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand, and can be viewed above. Adams strips the original of its bluster, which allows the wistful melody to shine through, and gets help with harmonies from his band.
Since Cornell's death, several other musicians have also paid tribute to Cornell. Stone Sour's Corey Taylor and Christian Martucci sang Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" and Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike" during their encore at Rock on the Range in Columbus, Ohio on Friday. Aerosmith dedicated their own classic "Dream On" to him, and Megadeth covered Soundgarden's "Outshined," a song that first appeared on their breakthrough album, Badmotorfinger.
In addition, many of his former band mates have also posted their thoughts and memories including Tom Morello, who played with Cornell in Audioslave. He wrote, “I love you, brother. Thank you for your friendship and your humor and your intellect and your singular and unmatched talent. It was a great honor to know you as a friend and as a band mate. I am devastated and deeply saddened that you are gone dear friend, but your unbridled rock power, delicate haunting melodies and the memory of your smile are with us forever. Your beautiful voice and beautiful self will always be in my heart. God bless you and your family.”
Soundgarden Albums Ranked in Order of Awesomeness