Audioslave at the Auckland Town Hall

By PETER GRIFFIN

Whether Audioslave moved the venue for Saturday's gig from the sweaty tent at Ericsson Stadium to the Town Hall because they were struggling to fill the numbers or because they wanted a more intimate gig, as they claimed, I'm glad they made the change.

There is something poetic about a hard rock supergroup exploding beneath chandeliers, red drapes and ornate plasterwork. Three parts Rage Against the Machine, one part Soundgarden, Audioslave did just that.

Virtually their entire debut album, Audioslave, was aired during an 80-minute set that possibly could have been fattened with a wider selection of covers or a couple of gems from the huge Soundgarden/Rage back catalogue.

But the latter was strictly out of the question. Those assembled paid for new music and knew what to expect.

The lanky Chris Cornell proved his thunderous voice hasn't diminished since his Soundgarden days, though he was at his vocal best on quieter numbers such as Like A Stone and the mournful I Am The Highway, songs more reminiscent of his Temple Of The Dog and solo days.

Gold, a nondescript leftover from the Audioslave sessions, possibly, was performed with Cornell holding a tape recorder above his head in some spiritual endorsement of bootlegging.

But ex-Rage guitarist Tom Morello was the night's shining star. He began the show bathed in purple light, kneeling before his effects unit melding the quirky intro to Set It Off.

From then on, every song revealed a new trick, a unique fretboard treatment.

From the record-scratching solo of Hypnotise to the ear-piercing opening to Light My Way, Morello gave ample proof he is the most innovative axe-man in rock, even if his schoolboy hat and buttoned-up jacket made him look like Angus Young with less hair.

Audioslave left their anti-war banners at home, although Cornell took to acoustic guitar for the Elvis Costello cover What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding?

But the strongest political statement was left to the end of the show during the hit Cochise. The trademark Audioslave flame fell away to reveal a huge peace sign.

Audioslave are painfully loud, and while their first batch of material has them finding their feet and Morello finding new things to do with his guitar, numbers like Shadow On The Sun and the psychedelic The Last Remaining Light hint at the promise in store for album No 2.