Ten years ago tonight
On November 4, 2016, Temple of the Dog walked on stage at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, just outside Philadelphia, and played the first show of their first-ever tour. It had taken them 25 years to get there.
For 90 The Original, this night is more than a concert anniversary. It is part of the reason this brand exists today. So this week I want to tell the story, share what the tour meant, and celebrate it with the fans who kept this music alive.
The phone call that brought 90 back
90 The Original started as a skateboarding brand and became part of the Seattle music scene in the early '90s, when the musicians of that era started wearing it. Then, for about 15 years, the tees were gone.
Before Temple of the Dog hit the road in 2016, Chris Cornell called Kevin Staab, the founder of 90. He asked Kevin to bring the tees back. Kevin listened. Thanks to Chris's encouragement, the store came back to life.
And Chris didn't just encourage it. On both nights in Philadelphia, he walked on stage wearing our signature logo tee.
When I took over 90, this was the story that made me understand what I was holding. This brand is not just a logo on a shirt. It was part of that Seattle family, and Chris believed in it enough to bring it back. I think about that every time I pack an order.
A tribute that became a band
Temple of the Dog was born out of grief. In 1990, Andrew Wood, the singer of Mother Love Bone, died of an overdose. He was Chris Cornell's friend and roommate. Chris wrote songs for him, and those songs needed a band.
He brought in his Soundgarden bandmate Matt Cameron, and Andrew's own bandmates from Mother Love Bone, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. Mike McCready joined on guitar. A young singer from San Diego named Eddie Vedder, who had just come to Seattle to audition for a new band, ended up singing with Chris on "Hunger Strike." That new band became Pearl Jam.
The self-titled album came out on A&M Records on April 16, 1991. It was meant to be a one-time thing, a goodbye to a friend. The band never toured it. For 25 years, Temple of the Dog lived only on that record.
The tour nobody thought would happen
In July 2016, the band announced their first-ever tour to mark the album's 25th anniversary, together with a reissue of the record released that September. Chris Cornell, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready and Matt Cameron would finally play these songs live, as Temple of the Dog. Every date sold out almost immediately.
The run was short and special:
- Philadelphia, Tower Theater (two nights, starting November 4)
- New York, Madison Square Garden
- San Francisco, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
- Los Angeles, The Forum
- Seattle, Paramount Theatre (two homecoming nights, closing the tour)
The shows were more than the album. On opening night in Philadelphia, the setlist included Mother Love Bone songs for Andrew, Chris's song "Seasons" from the Singles soundtrack, and covers like Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." It felt like a celebration of the whole Seattle family, not just one record.
Thank you, Chris
Tonight I posted the complete November 4, 2016 concert from the Tower Theater on the 90 YouTube channel. It's edited from footage originally filmed and shared by aerofan2007, and I'm so grateful it exists. If you were in that room, I hope it takes you right back. If you weren't, this is the closest thing to being there. Watch on YouTube
Ten years later, those five cities and those few nights still mean so much to so many people. Temple of the Dog started as a goodbye to a friend, and in 2016 it became a reunion for all of us who loved that music.
For me, it is also a reminder of why 90 is here. Thank you, Chris, for that phone call. And thank you to everyone who keeps this music, and his memory, alive with me.
