Chris Cornell

Photographer: Miranda Biggs Location: Bardavon Theatre, Poughkeepsie, NY Date: November 30, 2011 "This series is a tribute to Chris Cornell. It was through Chris and his management team that I got my first break in pro-photography. Up until mid-2011, my only experience shooting live music was with a point and shoot at various concerts I attended. I had long wanted to break into the field but didn’t quite know how. In September of 2011, I was hand picked by Chris’s team to cover his show on the Songbook tour at the Bardavon Theatre in Poughkeepsie, NY, on November 30, 2011. I drove eight hours from Toronto to Poughkeepsie for what would turn out to be the greatest experience I have ever had photographing an event. From the beauty of the theatre to the warmth of the man I was there to capture – I couldn’t have asked for anything more. With the one-year anniversary of his passing approaching, I wanted to find a way to share some of the images from that evening that show a man who appeared happy and healthy, yet conveyed pain and sadness within his eyes and lyrics. Proceeds from the sale of these images will be sent to the Chris & Vicky Cornell Foundation. ‘The Red Phone’ – My image titles are influenced by the song Chris was singing at that particular time, with the exception of this one. The red phone on stage to his left in the image belonged to Jeff Buckley, which Jeff claimed he used to talk to God. After Jeff passed away, his mother gave the phone to Chris. When Chris was preparing for his first acoustic show, he was in his bedroom and grabbing picks, a capo, and other things he would need, he had the phone in his room and grabbed it and put it on stage with him that night. Since then, he had it on stage with him at every acoustic show. He once said he keeps it there hoping it would ring, and it would be Jeff on the other end. The song Chris was performing at the time I took this shot was ‘Like a Suicide’." Print Size: 11x16 Framed: Yes