Live Review: Audioslave in Boston

No longer saddled with the task of making a name for themselves, multi-platinum rockers Audioslave assaulted the sold-out crowd at Boston's Avalon Thursday night (4/28) with a barrage of songs that included some much-appreciated nods to their past.

Former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and former Rage Against the Machine power-trio Tom Morello (guitar), Tim Commerford (bass) and Brad Wilk (drums) established themselves as a new entity with their self-titled, 2002 debut and a supporting tour during which they chose to avoid material from their respective back catalogs. This time around, they've lifted the ban.

Before delving into its pre-Audioslave past, the group got things started with two incendiary cuts from its first album: "Set it Off," which Morello introduced with a machine-gun volley of effects-laden guitar; and "Exploder." The one-two punch rattled the capacity crowd to life.

The band earned high marks for a perfectly paced setlist.

New cut "Your Time Has Come"--taken from the group's not-yet-released sophomore set, "Out of Exile" (in stores May 24)--and mellow hit "Like a Stone" were trailed by the Soundgarden joint "Spoonman" and "Audioslave" scorcher "Gasoline"; the forthcoming album's title track and new single "Be Yourself" were countered with a blistering trio comprising an instrumental snippet of Rage's "Bulls on Parade," full-on version of Rage's "Sleep Now in the Fire" and stellar rendition of Soundgarden's "Outshined."

After closing out the main set with "Shadow on the Sun," Cornell donned an acoustic guitar and started the encore with a solo version of the Soundgarden hit "Black Hole Sun," then delivered half of Audioslave's "I Am the Highway" before his bandmates joined in.

The show ended in an all-out frenzy with the concussive, back-to-back blows of Rage's signature anthem, "Killing in the Name," (don't bother asking how Cornell sounded serving up former Rage frontman Zack de la Rocha's lines; the crowd easily drowned him out) and Audioslave's Rage-esque rocker "Cochise."

More than any one song, the highlight of the show was seeing how, after three years together, these four musicians have settled into their new identity--one that marries the strengths of their past (most notably Morello's inimitable shredding and Cornell's rock-god howl) with new dynamics (Barbarian bassist Commerford singing background harmonies? Believe it).

By striking the right balance of past and present--and providing a glimpse of its future via the soon-to-be-released numbers--Audioslave left in its wake a sweaty and satisfied Boston crowd.