Audioslave - State Theatre, Detroit - February 28, 03

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.