Why Soundgarden Should Not Headline Reading in 2012

The other Adam at Strictly R&L has already written why he believes Soundgarden should headline Reading and Leeds in 2012, I’m now going to explain why I don’t think they should.

First of all I should say, I like Soundgarden. If you read this article and go away saying “Adam doesn’t like Soundgarden”, you’d be wrong. Hell, I like a fair bit of Chris Cornell’s solo work as well as a lot of his stuff made with Audioslave. I just don’t think Soundgarden are suited to topping the main stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals next year.

As the other Adam pointed out, Soundgarden were one of the big four bands of grunge, along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. But then again, Anthrax are one of the ‘big four’ of thrash metal. I’m not saying Soundgarden are Anthrax but my point is to be one of the big ‘X’ of ‘Y’ is pretty subjective. Alice in Chains reunited and returned a few years ago now (albeit with a new vocalist replacing the deceased Layne Staley) but they never really got any higher up the bill at UK festivals than middle of the Main Stage (Download 2006 & Sonisphere 2010) so being one of the top bands of a genre or style isn’t enough.

My feelings are that Nirvana and Pearl Jam were/are the festival headliners and arena fillers, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains fulfilled a supporting role to them. Back in the early 1990s it was Nirvana who made the biggest impact becoming household names and it’s been Pearl Jam who’ve stuck at it, punching out solid strong selling material and touring the globe for 20 years to earn their top spot still. Soundgarden don’t have that, they didn’t make such an immediate impact as Nirvana at the time and haven’t released a studio album since 1996 in which time Pearl Jam have released 5 more studio albums to keep themselves in the public consciousness.

All that being said then, should Soundgarden headline as a band reuniting because their very resurrection should be sufficient to bump them to the top of the bill. In my eyes, no. Reading has a growing tradition of giving returning bands a chance to top the bill with mixed results. Pixies headlined Reading back in 1990 at the height of their power amidst Doolittle and Bossanova success and again they topped the bill in 2005 after putting their differences aside to reunite. Their 2005 show was a critical success and the band played brilliantly. I can tell you that from firsthand experience. as I watched it with about seven other people (okay, this is an extreme exaggeration but the crowd was small!). Most other people were spread across the rest of the site or watching Kasabian playing the hits the attendees knew from the radio in a packed second stage tent.

Blink 182 had a vastly different return to Reading in 2010 drawing a big crowd but playing so lack lustfully that you might have mistaken them for a tribute band you’d see down your local. Rage against the Machine do deserve a mention here as a returning band who ticked all the boxes. Monster crowd, amazing performance… but would organisers really want to stick their neck out and book Soundgarden as headliners when they could have another Pixies or Blink moment?

I suppose the next question should be; do Soundgarden have the songs to win over a mixed crowd? Are there going to be enough songs on the set list for the casual fan to enjoy the whole show without wandering off? Not wanting to be that glass half empty guy again, but no, I don’t think they do. As I said, I like Soundgarden, I like them but don’t love them, and that might end up being their undoing as a festival headliner. Fans of alternative rock, punk, metal and indie (the Reading crowd basically) who aren’t straight up fans of Soundgarden might know some songs from watching Q, Kerrang, Scuzz, MTV Rocks etc. but the band can’t make “Black Hole Sun”, “Spoonman”, “Outshined”, “Rusty Cage” and “Jesus Christ Pose” last an hour and a half, or more. Not without some serious jamming anyway (and we all remember how that went down from the Chili’s in 2007).

How many other songs on the set list are the more casual fans stood halfway back, arms crossed, listening to the show in the cold going to know? How many are they going to get into? Soundgarden aren’t the most accessible of bands, you’re not going to jump around to them as you might a good pop punk act or create a circle pit to guitar and drum breaks as you might to a thrash or metalcore act. If people watching don’t know it .and then can’t get into them there and then, there will be other bands to go and see… and then you get Pixies 2005 syndrome. A worthy performance by a band of skilled musicians playing to a dwindling crowd who know all the words to “Fourth of July”.

A Positive Ending: Plan B

I don’t want to end this piece negatively, lord knows I’ve been a downer throughout so far so I will follow the other Adam’s lead and offer a proposition to you. Rather than his Pixies/Soundgarden Main Stage co-headline I think Soundgarden would slot in perfectly into a role carved out by other veteran acts at Reading, that of the second stage headliner. Primal Scream in 2006 (against Franz Ferdinand headlining on the Main), Manic Street Preachers in 2008 (The Killers) and Faith No More in 2009 (Kings of Leon). All veteran bands either reuniting after a hiatus or returning to equal past glories, these bands played out of their skins to smaller crowds of far more loyal listeners in the Reading big top.

I think Soundgarden would fit in there brilliantly. With a smaller crowd of true fans who wanted to be there while a more crowd pleasing band could top the Main against them; they could be as esoteric as they desired. And if Reading’s second stage tent could contain the talent and ego of Mike Patton then it can certainly take Chris Cornell’s too.