There were many incredible moments at last night’s I Am The Highway: A Tribute to Chris Cornell tribute show at the Forum in Los Angeles, but the one that seemed to really shock the audience the most was Miley Cyrus’ stunning take on the Temple of the Dog classic “Say Hello 2 Heaven.”
Cyrus got a tepid response from the audience when Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard introduced introduced her, but she quickly won them over when she began tilting her head back and belting out the song with incredible force and passion alongside many of the surviving members of Temple of the Dog.
“Thank you everybody,” she said at the end. “I fucking wanted to sing this song tonight. We love you Chris. Thank you for bringing us all together like you always have. It’s a fucking honor. This was the fucking best day.” Check out fan-shot video of the performance right here. (Earlier in the night, Cyrus sang Cornell’s 2009 deep cut “Two Drink Minimum.”)
Cyrus was just one of many guest singers that tackled Cornell tunes during the marathon concert which also featured Adam Levine, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Fiona Apple, Ryan Adams, Ziggy Marley, the Melvins and the surviving members of Audioslave, Temple of the Dog and Soundgarden.
“When the idea of a tribute concert for my friend Chris Cornell was presented to me, I was torn,” said Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron. “I didn’t feel like I had the strength required to pull it off. So I went back to the music. I heard his voice, and I found my strength. … Chris is here with us tonight. He has the best seat in the house.”