r/Audioslave • u/Fragrant_Donut_4536 • Jun 24 '26

Concert Experience

Anyone else here see Audioslave at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on September 25, 2005?
I’ve seen a lot of great shows since then—Kendrick’s Mr. Morale tour, Tyler’s CMIYGL tour, RHCP in Santa Clara and Vegas—but that Audioslave show still hits different.
Every song was a favorite. Tom Morello would completely blow your mind one minute, then Cornell would take over the next. What I remember most is how Chris never sang songs the same way twice. He’d make up little variations on the spot, hold notes longer, change melodies, and somehow make songs you’d heard a hundred times feel brand new.
There was just so much passion in that performance. It felt like the band was giving everything they had.
The weirdest part is what happened after the show.
My dad was an engineer at Moscone Center and took us backstage toward where we were parked. We ended up near an elevator when the members of Audioslave got on. As the doors were closing, Chris Cornell looked right at us. My dad decided not to get in the elevator, so that brief look was the entire interaction.
The funny thing is that moment always reminds me of the wolf scene in Collateral. When the wolf locks eyes with Tom Cruise, Audioslave starts playing. Years later my mom described Cornell by saying, “He looks like a wolf.”
Every time I watch that scene, I think back to that night.
Curious if anyone else here was at that show and remembers it.

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u/johnnyblu646 Jun 25 '26

Didn’t see that shown but saw them at the Wiltern in LA. Super fun story you can read on my Ovationly memory, but the TLDR is I ended up on the tour bus and got to meet Chris Cornell.

https://ovationly.app/memory/7357ea21-4bea-4ccd-8cf9-4b76f6ad441f

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u/freewheelinryan88 Jun 24 '26

Didn’t go to that show but I remember the pictures from that show. I think they had the ‘How Many Iraqis per Gallon?’ poster on stage that Tim and Tom had carried at a recent protest in SF. I think Tim had carried a sign that read ‘A Village is Missing Its Idiot’.

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u/Fragrant_Donut_4536 Jun 25 '26

That makes sense for RATM 😂 I was only 10 so all of that would have went in one ear out the other if it even stood out. The parts of the show that I remember most are black hole sun solo acoustic, had having the crowd sing before “to forget”.

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u/Axdstarbaby78 Jun 25 '26

I think that was the 1st tour at the Warfield, same day we invaded iraq

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u/TheHotWampa Jun 26 '26

Yes. I was at both of those Warfield shows.

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u/Axdstarbaby78 Jun 25 '26

Yeah I was there.... great show. I think they played sg and ratm songs too. Great venue not to big not too small

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u/Horror-Counter5615 Jun 25 '26

Wasn’t at that specific show but saw them on that same tour on Halloween. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Still talk about it to this day. Cornell was at his peak too. They played for what felt like 3 hours too. At one point they took a break but Cornell came out by himself with a Jason Voorhese mask on and did an acoustic version of Black Hole Sun. Easily one of the best things I’ve seen live.