Black Hole Solar Panel

"In a sense, Soundgarden was a selfish band when it came to performing live," he says. "We would focus on the songs that we wanted to present. Personally, I want there to be participation when it comes to my live show. I want it to be what me and the audience agree are the songs that are the most exciting in a live setting. But there's nothing I would just write off and never do."

Fans might be leery of his newfound affinity for crowd-pleasing, but Cornell's increasingly approachable demeanor gives his older, more guarded material a shine. A YouTube clip from 1996 shows Cornell onstage with Soundgarden introducing the hit "My Wave" as "one of those songs that you write when you want to say 'fuck you' to everybody." He then urges the crowd to scream "fuck you" to the band. They oblige.

This time, he probably won't be asking you to give him the finger — or hug a tree.