Temple of the Dog Ain’t Going Hungry, Announce First Ever Tour for 25th Annniversary

Some time in 1992 young Vince flicked past MTV on his parents’ newly acquired cable package, and his life was changed forever.

One video in heavy rotation that year was “Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog, a supergroup with members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, the very concept of which blew my little mind. It was the band’s only hit off their only album — written to commemorate the death of their friend and Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood — and they’ve been mostly dormant ever since, with a few one-off performances over the years.

25 years later, to celebrate the anniversary of the 1991 self-titled album’s release, Temple of the Dog will finally embark on their first ever tour. A couple of notes:

• the “tour” is only five dates, not surprising given the band members’ day job band commitments and the question marks around their draw (the four theater dates should sell out… but Madison Square Garden? wow!)
• Eddie Vedder is not listed as a participant; Chris Cornell will handle all vocal duties, unless Vedder shows up as a guest

What will these shows be like? A little weird, I’d think. For one, I’m not sure how many Temple of the Dog diehards exist out in the world; I feel like most people know just the one song and may come for the curiosity, although I’m sure there are folks who have been waiting a LONG time for this to happen. Will they play a few Soundgarden and Pearl Jam covers too? Probably.

Various pre-sales through Pearl Jam and Soundgarden fan clubs are active now, with tickets going on sale to the general public at noon local time on July 29. $1.50 from each ticket sold will benefit the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation and an additional $1.50 will benefit Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy Foundation.

Temple of the Dog will get the 25th anniversary re-release treatment on September 30th, following a long legal battle that saw the band claim back the rights to the masters. The reissue will be available as a four-disc super deluxe version, a double LP, a two CD deluxe version and a single CD, with a fresh mix by ’90s mainstay Brendan O’Brien. Pre-order here.

Dates:

11/04 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Tower Theater
11/07 – New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
11/11 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Bill Graham Civic Center
11/14 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Forum
11/20 – Seattle, Wash. @ Paramount Theater

[via Loudwire]