“I Am The Highway,” the tribute concert held last night at The Forum in Los Angeles in Chris Cornell’s honor, was an emotional event. His three former bands — Soundgarden, Temple Of The Dog, and Audioslave — reunited, and a lot of Cornell’s collaborators, friends, and fans honored him with moving performances. None of them was more special, however, than when Toni Cornell, Chris’ daughter, took the stage with Ziggy Marley to perform “Redemption Song.”
Brad Pitt introduced the performance, saying this was “just her third time on the mic.” Despite Cornell’s relative lack of experience, she sounded great singing backed by Marley’s acoustic guitar. Performing under an image of her father, it was an emotional moment in an evening full of them, and one Chris surely would have been proud of.
On Father’s Day in 2017, Toni shared a father-daughter duet cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” that she recorded with her dad, about which she said, “I miss your love everyday. Recording this song with you was a special and amazing experience I wish I could repeat 100 times over and I know you would too.” That August, she also honored her father, and Chester Bennington, by joining OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder for a performance of “Hallelujah” on Good Morning America.
Also on Father’s Day in 2017, about a month after Cornell’s death, Toni shared an emotional letter to her father on his Facebook page, writing in part, “Let me start by saying how much I love you and how much you mean to me. You are my idol, someone I’ve always looked up to. You were always there for me. You pushed me forward every day, and you still do. Whenever I cry or feel like there’s no way I can go on, I hear your voice, ‘Don’t sit worrying peanut. Worry is a waste of time, I’m ok.’ I always took what you said to heart. Probably because everything you said was so smart.”
Watch footage of Cornell and Marley performing “Redemption Song” above and below.
