Variety recently reported that the host committee for the January 16, 2019 Chris Cornell tribute show ‘I Am The Highway’ in Los Angeles at the Forum includes Brad Pitt, Vicky Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Cameron, Josh and Kathryn Brolin, Jimmy Kimmel, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Courteney Cox, Kaley Cuoco, David Spade, John Carter Cash, Linda Ramone, Andrea & Paul Joseph, Cynthia Pett, Peter Berg, Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Marc Gurvitz & Julianne Phillips, Ron Laffitte, Michael Rapino, Brent Smith and Lisa Engel, Michele Bernstein, Patrick Whitesell, Scott Sartiano, Michael Cooper, Nicholas Karayiannis, Eric Esrailian, and Paul and Renee Haas. Jimmy Kimmel will serve as the host.
Surviving members of Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog will perform at the show, along with Foo Fighters, Metallica, Ryan Adams, and more. Cornell died by suicide in May 2017.
Kim Thayil discussed the surviving members of Soundgarden reunion performance in a new Kerrang interview.
“Oh, the celebrity showcase.” Kim laughs.
“There will be distinct bands playing but then there will be guests sitting in with me, Ben, and Matt. It will be a big fundraiser.”
This is the first time Kim Thayil has confirmed that Soundgarden’s surviving members will be joined by multiple guests, as Thayil only previously confirmed that his MC50 bandmate Marcus Durant would be a guest singer. This opens up the possibility of Dave Grohl and James Hetfield, as they will be in attendance for their performances with Foo Fighters and Metallica. James Hetfield has a history of serving as a guest vocalist for a band performing without their original singer, as he played with Alice In Chains in 2006.
The show will benefit the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation and The Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation. A Chris Cornell retrospective album was released a couple of weeks ago.
