Live on I-5
A&M Records
Chris Cornell helps thicken the guitars by providing support throughout, but most noticeably on the heart-pounding opener “Spoonman” and mach-speed “Rusty Cage.” But Cornell’s presence on guitars is overshadowed by his spine-tingling heroics on vocals. His primal, blood curdling roars and signature falsetto screams are spot-on during showstoppers “Ty Cobb,” "Rusty Cage," and “Black Hole Sun”—which is nearly a cappella except for a lone guitar. However, Cornell excels similarly when he cleans it up and shows his dynamic range on “Burden in My Hands,” "Fell on Black Days,” and the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.”
The tracks are gathered from a handful of shows making the disc more of a live compilation than a true concert album, however, the music is cohesive, the performances are tight, and the overall collection is as powerful as Soundgarden ever sounded.