live debut on Letterman

Audioslave made their live debut on November 25, 2002, performing a brief concert on the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City for the Late Show with David Letterman . It was the first time any band had appeared on Letterman’s marquee. That year’s KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas was Audioslave’s first paying concert, in which the band played on the first night, December 7, after giving a secret club show the night before. Toward the end of the band’s six-song set, Cornell told the audience, “These guys saved my life this year,” and the show ended with his bandmates hugging him. Afterwards, asked to expand on his comments, he would say only that he had dragged the trio “through a trail of shit” in the past months. Cornell later confirmed that he had checked into drug rehabilitation . In a San Diego CityBEAT article, Cornell explained that he went through “a horrible personal crisis” during the making of the first record, staying in rehab for two months and separating from his wife. He credited Morello, Commerford and Wilk with helping him rebound. He dismissed rumors about problems with OxyContin or heroin, but when asked, offered only, “Various things. I’m not picky. Mainly for drinking.”