All of the fire exemplified by the bright Audioslave flame logo burned
brightly when the supergroup exploded with energy onto the Detroit State
Theatre stage, rewarding the anxious masses with their innovative and
unique brand of rock music.

Opener "Gasoline" was all that was needed to ignite the proverbial fire as
the devotees erupted in exaltation as Tim Commorford, Chris Cornell, Tom
Morello and Brad Wilk quickly made up for lost time and put their
collective sterling pasts behind them, forging ahead and offering a
promising future with this musical all-star merger that seemed
too-good-to-be-true in 2002.

There were certainly questions to be answered in 2003.  Would this
collaboration, consisting of core members of two of the most important
bands of the nineties, be able to live up to the critical acclaim?  How
could the foursome possibly match the monstrosity that the sum of their
parts should add up to?

After last year's second stage headlining spot on Ozzfest fell through at
the last minute, the promising union seemed on hold.  When the recorded
music finally emerged on November 19, 2002, there was again hope.  One of
the best CD releases of the year proved its worth and added to the
reputation any work made by the nucleus of Rage Against The Machine and
Soundgarden should.

Fifteen years ago the Cornell-fronted Soundgarden burst on the heavy metal
scene bringing a freshness with them and blazing a path soon followed by
many.  Meanwhile, Morello's guitar powered Rage Against The Machine into
another ground-breaker- a bombshell dropped in 1992 - becoming forefathers
of the "nu-metal" movement incorporating rap-style vocals with heavy
guitars.

The trendsetting moves paid off well with a combined 35 million albums sold
worldwide between the two trailblazers.  The bands ended far too soon, but
as this year unfolded Audioslave promised a refresher course in all that
was special about these past accomplishments.

A sterling collective history is one thing but living up to that acclaim is
another.  A storied reputation was on the line for these proud musical
survivors and one-time saviors.  The rebirth had to be seen to be believed.
But worry not, for they did not disappoint and emerged triumphant.

Holding true to their long-standing credo promising "all sounds made by

guitar, bass drums, and vocals" the stripped-down Audioslave proved
perfectly fine since the sonic blast they made was very pleasing to the
ear.  Morello emerged as the evening's star.  The guitar wizard was a
maestro in action with each song revolving around his indescribable
fretboard work.  The sounds he elicited from his instrument made one look
forward to each unique and different solo wondering what would come next.
All were executed to perfection with Morello nonchalantly going about his

business like there was nothing to it.

These rock veterans seemed to care less about individual spotlights,
though, and were eager to let their superb blend of music take center
stage.  It was simply a potent mixture and that was more than enough to
keep the capacity crowd of ravenous fans satisfied.  Cornell's strong
vocals were just right to do that- smooth while matching the music
perfectly, carrying many of the songs.

The individual trademarks were clearly evident.  The muscular and chiseled
body of Cornell, the baseball cap-sporting Morello and the heavily tattooed
arms of bassist Commorford.  However, any sort of showmanship was
noticeable and lacking for a band whose members feature such an illustrious
past.  But this was a new band starting over and with that in mind, they
went all out to prove themselves.

This was just the sixth show on a 20-date inaugural tour in which every
ticket to every show sold.  The lucky 2500 or so Michigan fans soaked up
the 70 minute set consisting wholly of original material found on the
self-titled debut currently resting in the Billboard Top 30 sales charts.
With a slot on the summer Lollapalooza tour upcoming, an intimate
Audioslave show like this will soon be a rarity.

Standouts in the performance included "Like A Stone," with its rhythmic
driving beat and "Show Me How To Live" featuring a sing-a-long.  The
initial encore,  "I am the Highway," showcased Cornell alone on acoustic
guitar for the first half of this emotional rollercoaster before his
cohorts supplied the rock.

Lead single "Cochise" was the only choice for the final song and as soon as
Wilk's bombastic drums kicked in the desired response was elicited as fists
started pumping in unison along all four tiers of the State Theatre,
clearly bringing down the house and leaving many anxious for more.

As Cornell cleverly intoned on this last anthem bursting with positive
messages, "I've been drinking life while you've been nauseous."  That much
was obvious.  So keep on drinking up Audioslave.

And while you're at it, be sure to share the magic potion.
We have yet to get our fill.