A 90s alt-rock supergroup that was never meant to be a band, Temple of the Dog are reuniting for the 25th anniversary of their only album. Consisting of Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and all of Pearl Jam, the band was formed as a tribute to Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood. Mother Love Bone, which included Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, released their debut album, Apple, in 1990. However, just a few days before it’s release, Wood overdosed on heroin. Cornell, who had been Wood’s roommate, asked the rest of the band if they’d be interested in recording two songs he’d written as a tribute, and the one-off album was released in 1991. Just a few months later, Pearl Jam would release Ten, and while Temple of the Dog’s release did respectable before then, the album was pushed once Ten gained popularity due to “Hunger Strike,” which featured Eddie Vedder dueting with Cornell.
While they played a handful of short performances in 1991 and 1992, they’d never toured before now. Cornell has joined Pearl Jam in recent years to play a song or two as well, but the five shows they’ll be playing will mark the first time the band have played a full concert together ever. “”We wanted to do the one thing we never got to do … play shows and see what it feels like to be the band that we walked away from 25 years ago,” Cornell said in a press release.
UMe will be putting out a 25th anniversary reissue of the album, including a four-disc super deluxe version, a double-LP a two-CD deluxe and a single CD. They can be ordered here. Some of the stuff you’ll get on the reissues will be seven demos, including two songs that didn’t make the album, “Angel of Fire” and “Black Cat.” Tickets for the November shows will go on sale this Friday (22) and $1.50 from each ticket will go to the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation with another $1.50 going to Pearl Jam’s Viatalogy Foundation.
11/04 – Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theater
11/07- New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
11/11 – San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Center
11/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
11/20 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theater
