Chris Cornell

When the band thing is on hiatus/ain't happening, then it's an opportunity for the frontman to pick up an acoustic guitar and play solo. Chris Cornell of Audioslave and Soundgarden and Scott Stapp of Creed have announced separate solo tours with dates in Minnesota.

Cornell hits the Fitzgerald Theater on April 24 as part of his two-month Songbook Tour. Tickets will go on sale Feb. 4.

His 2009 solo CD, "Scream," produced by Timbaland, was a rock-dance experiment that met with many scathing reviews. Last year, Soundgarden played a secret show in Seattle (their first since 1997) and rocked Lollapalooza in Chicago. In November, the band performed on the second episode of Conan O'Brien's new show on TBS. The group will release its first live album in March.

Stapp will give his first solo show of 2011 in Walker, Minn., of all places, on a bill with Aaron Lewis of Staind at Northern Lights Casino

After making their first album in eight years, Creed did a reunion tour in 2009-10. But now the band is officially on hiatus (ah, that explanation) while its other three members undertake a tour with Alter Bridge, their other band.