3472/1239633629-cornell.jpg

Chris Cornell at House of Blues on Monday — Is Chris Cornell’s new album, the Timbaland-produced Scream, as bad as everyone and Trent Reznor says? No. Is it a pretty bizarre move for Soundgarden’s former rock-god/frontman? For sure. Then again, it’s a pretty ballsy genre jump. After more than two decades of keeping cock-rock alive, Cornell’s stab at hip-hop essentially screams, “Don’t pigeonhole me!” Yeah … it’s a little too late for that. But at least he isn’t running in place. You know, like Trent Reznor.

Jeff Beck at House of Blues on Wednesday — The recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee doesn’t do much onstage. And he’s really not all the exciting to watch. He plays guitar with little flash or showing off. Still, the dude is one of the all-time greats, and his band — including cute, young Tal Wilkenfeld on bass — follows him through every jazz/rock/fusion turn. The show is sold out, but you can still find tickets. —Michael Gallucci

This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2009.