In February, Chris Cornell announced that he had quit hard-rock supergroup Audioslave, citing "irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences" - which is a bit like telling an ex that not only do you hate them, but they were bad in bed.

Yet, instead of sailing off into the sunset, Cornell spends nearly two-and-a-half hours picking over the corpse of not just his six-year relationship with three quarters of Rage Against the Machine but also his brief fling with Temple of the Dog and his most lasting union, with Soundgarden.

With one of the most extensive back catalogues in rock to choose from - his latest album, Carry On, is his 13th - Cornell's decision to wander down memory lane is daunting, especially as his powerful voice had sounded decidedly shaky towards the end of Audioslave, a victim of alcoholism and a career spent shrieking and howling like a dying dog.

But Cornell is very much alive. Slinking about the stage like a twitchy cat burglar, he taps his reinvigorated vocal cords to make them work harder, to match the throbbing metal rhythms. The problem is, Cornell is now a sober non-smoker who dedicates songs to his wife and is not very angst-ridden any more. While the punishing power of Rusty Cage and Black Hole Sun is undiminished, new material such as Arms Around Your Love abandons claustrophobic nihilism for sickly sentiment. Even an appearance by composer and DJ David Holmes can't lift a lumpen You Know My Name. Though the unplugged moments reveal Cornell's melodic influences - from the Beatles to Jeff Buckley - the sudden mood-changes and lack of consistency make for exhausting listening. Not that it stops Cornell striking Christ poses and indulging in three encores. But now he needs to leave his old loves behind.

· At Hyde Park Calling, London (0870 154 4040), on June 24.