Chris Cornell has traveled almost every road in rock.
The Citizen file photo
KRockathon fans scream in support of the performance at Cayuga County Fairgrounds last year.
KRockathon fans scream in support of the performance at Cayuga County Fairgrounds last year.
This weekend, the former singer for grunge band Soundgarden and supergroup Audioslave will walk the road to Weedsport solo to headline the 12th annual KRock-athon.
KRock program director Scott Petibone feels Cornell is one of the five elite figures in modern rock, along with Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.
Like his fellow Seattle musicians, Cornell helped set in motion the hard rock sound that would dominate airwaves for the next decade.
The melodic hooks of Soundgarden songs like “Black Hole Sun,” “Jesus Christ Pose” and “Pretty Noose” made its punk and metal touches palatable to mainstream listeners.
Following Soundgarden's break-up in 1997, Cornell started a solo career that netted him a Grammy nomination for the song “Can't Change Me.”
In 2001 he joined with former members of Rage Against the Machine to form Audioslave, with whom he would sing for six
years before resuming his solo career.
Cornell contributed “You Know My Name” to the opening credits of the most recent James Bond movie, “Casino Royale.” The song can also be found on Cornell's second album, “Carry On,” which he released in June.
Joining Cornell in Weedsport will be Deftones, Social Distortion, Black Light Burns, Drowning Pool, Strata, Sick Puppies and Evans Blue.
The lineup is a lively mixture of different styles under the spacious umbrella of modern rock that Cornell helped construct.
By sticking to this style, every one of the 11 editions of the KRockathon has attracted a legion of rock fans at locations around central New York.
For the past three years, the outdoor concert has been held at the Cayuga County Fairgrounds in Weedsport.
Two of those shows took place before a sold out crowd.
Last year's attendance of 10,000 raucous rock fans clogged traffic on the New York State Thruway for 17 miles. Not only did the delay keep scores of fans from making the show, it caused Evans Blue to miss their set time.
Petibone has worked with the Thruway Authority and the Weedsport Speedway to open up alternate routes to the KRockathon, which can be found at www.krockathon.com, and to offer parking access earlier in the day.
“Hopefully that will alleviate the problem,” Petibone said.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
If you go
What: 12th annual KRockathon
When: Noon Saturday
Where: Weedsport Speedway, Cayuga County Fairgrounds, 1 Speedway Drive, Weedsport
Tickets: $20 to $35
For details: Visit www.krockathon.com
KRock program director Scott Petibone feels Cornell is one of the five elite figures in modern rock, along with Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.
Like his fellow Seattle musicians, Cornell helped set in motion the hard rock sound that would dominate airwaves for the next decade.
The melodic hooks of Soundgarden songs like “Black Hole Sun,” “Jesus Christ Pose” and “Pretty Noose” made its punk and metal touches palatable to mainstream listeners.
Following Soundgarden's break-up in 1997, Cornell started a solo career that netted him a Grammy nomination for the song “Can't Change Me.”
In 2001 he joined with former members of Rage Against the Machine to form Audioslave, with whom he would sing for six
years before resuming his solo career.
Cornell contributed “You Know My Name” to the opening credits of the most recent James Bond movie, “Casino Royale.” The song can also be found on Cornell's second album, “Carry On,” which he released in June.
Joining Cornell in Weedsport will be Deftones, Social Distortion, Black Light Burns, Drowning Pool, Strata, Sick Puppies and Evans Blue.
The lineup is a lively mixture of different styles under the spacious umbrella of modern rock that Cornell helped construct.
By sticking to this style, every one of the 11 editions of the KRockathon has attracted a legion of rock fans at locations around central New York.
For the past three years, the outdoor concert has been held at the Cayuga County Fairgrounds in Weedsport.
Two of those shows took place before a sold out crowd.
Last year's attendance of 10,000 raucous rock fans clogged traffic on the New York State Thruway for 17 miles. Not only did the delay keep scores of fans from making the show, it caused Evans Blue to miss their set time.
Petibone has worked with the Thruway Authority and the Weedsport Speedway to open up alternate routes to the KRockathon, which can be found at www.krockathon.com, and to offer parking access earlier in the day.
“Hopefully that will alleviate the problem,” Petibone said.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
If you go
What: 12th annual KRockathon
When: Noon Saturday
Where: Weedsport Speedway, Cayuga County Fairgrounds, 1 Speedway Drive, Weedsport
Tickets: $20 to $35
For details: Visit www.krockathon.com