President Obama Taps Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell for Fundraiser

2012-01-30

Story by Anne Erickson

Soundgarden frontman to play upcoming fundraiser for President Obama

Campaign season is creeping up, and that means it’s time for musicians and other celebrities to pick their respective candidates and let the endorsements and fundraising concerts begin. Soundgarden and former Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell is long known for his passion for politics and social causes, and the grunge crooner is now using his talents to support President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

President Obama has announced that the Grammy-winning rocker will perform at his Feb. 16 benefit show in San Francisco to help raise campaign funds for the 2012 presidential election, reports the Mercury News.

The performance will include a reception at a to-be-announced location. Tickets will run $100 for general seating; $1,000 for preferred seating; and $7,500 for a package that includes preferred seating and an individual photo with President Obama. Additional people may be added to the photo in the latter package for $2,500 per head.

Cornell and Soundgarden are expect to release their long-awaited follow-up to 1996’s “Down on the Upside” this year. In the interim, Cornell played an intimate, solo, acoustic tour towards the end of last year, featuring unplugged versions of songs from Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog and his solo catalog. He recently stated in an interview with the New York Times that the small club setting allowed him to “my guard down and allow whoever that person is and that character – and I don’t know who that is – [come out]. Maybe it’s the disappointed version of me as a child. I don’t know. Maybe it’s the observer that sees things as what you imagine the world is gets replaced by different glimpses into reality, which is often awful. It’s probably that startled, scared kid that’s reacting in an aggressive way and descriptive way out of defense, I suppose. But then there are little things and bits and pieces of inspiration and imagination that come from that… ”

 




Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Alternative, Grunge, Music, Rock News

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