Live in Cuba
Video by
Audioslave
ReleasedOctober 11, 2005
RecordedMay 6, 2005
GenreAlternative rock, hard rock, post-grunge, heavy metal
Length130:00
LabelInterscope, Epic
DirectorLawrence Jordan
Audioslave chronology
Audioslave
(2003) 		Live in Cuba
(2005)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
DVD Review & High Definition[2]

Live in Cuba is the first live DVD from the American rock supergroup Audioslave. Performed in front of an audience of 70,000 people, Live in Cuba is considered an historic event as it marks one of the few times that American musicians were permitted to play in Cuba. Despite the bureaucratic obstacles resulting from the ongoing United States embargo against Cuba, Audioslave received permission to perform in Havana and altered their tour schedule to play a free concert on May 6, 2005. With special approval by U.S. President George W. Bush and Cuban President Fidel Castro, the concert was organized through joint authorization of the United States Department of Treasury and the Cuban Institute of Music.[3] At the time, guitarist Tom Morello declared that Audioslave was the first American rock and roll band to play a concert in Cuba.[3] However, other American musical artists played in Cuba prior to 2005. At the Havana Jam in March 1979, Billy Joel, Stephen Stills, Weather Report, and several other American pop and jazz artists performed at Havana's Karl Marx Theatre.[4] The Fabulous Titans, an American reggae/ska band, performed in Cuba in 1981.[5]

The DVD consists of footage from the concert performed at Havana's Plaza Anti Imperialista, plus a 37-minute documentary based on Audioslave's experiences in Cuba.[1] The documentary focuses on the band's interactions with the Cuban people and highlights their appreciation of the island's arts and culture.[3] The concert setlist consists mostly of Audioslave songs from the band's first two albums, Audioslave and Out of Exile. However, the band also performs several "Audioslave-ized" versions of songs from Soundgarden ("Spoonman" and "Outshined") and Rage Against the Machine ("Bulls on Parade" and "Sleep Now in the Fire").[1] After a triumphant concert that included moshing and crowd surfing, Tom Morello stated that Audioslave had "single-handedly demolished the rock and roll blockade against Cuba."[1][6]

Although the Live in Cuba DVD was released five months after Audioslave's second studio album, Out of Exile, the DVD footage was recorded shortly before the album's May 23, 2005 release date. Because of this timing, the Live in Cuba DVD documents the debut of the track "Heaven's Dead."[3] Two versions of the DVD were released on October 11, 2005, a standard edition and a special edition. The standard edition consists of the DVD only. The special edition consists of the DVD plus an audio CD of live Sessions@AOL tracks.[2]

Track listing

  1. "Set It Off"
  2. "Your Time Has Come"
  3. "Like a Stone"
  4. "Spoonman"*
  5. "The Worm"
  6. "Gasoline"
  7. "Heaven's Dead"*
  8. "Doesn't Remind Me"
  9. "Be Yourself"
  10. "Bulls on Parade" / "Sleep Now in the Fire"
  11. "Out of Exile"
  12. "Outshined"
  13. "Shadow on the Sun"*
  14. "Black Hole Sun" (Cornell Acoustic Solo)*
  15. "I Am the Highway"
  16. "Show Me How to Live"
  17. "Cochise"

Note: * indicates tracks exclusive to the Special Edition

Special Edition AOL Sessions audio CD

  1. "Be Yourself"
  2. "Loud Love"
  3. "Doesn't Remind Me"
  4. "Out of Exile"
  5. "Sleep Now in the Fire"

Personnel

[7]

Audioslave

Filmmakers

Production

Cinematography

Editorial staff

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Audioslave: Live in Cuba (AllMusic Review)".
  2. ^ a b "Audioslave: Live in Cuba (DVD Review)".
  3. ^ a b c d "A Decade Before The Rolling Stones, Audioslave Rocked Cuba".
  4. ^ "Rare Photos: Billy Joel at Havana Jam 1979".
  5. ^ "Rum Deal: Bands Who've Played Cuba Before The Rolling Stones".
  6. ^ "Out of Exile: How Audioslave Demolished the Rock and Roll Blockade".
  7. ^ "Audioslave: Live in Cuba".
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