Alice In Chains Concert Review: You Won’t Believe What They Do On Stage
Alice in Chains has had a huge impact on music history. Check out their concert review!
November 2nd, 2006.
Nokia Theater, New York City, NY
In my first year living in New York, I had the great pleasure of seeing live one of the best bands in all of rock n’ roll history: Alice in Chains.
As I arrived at the Nokia Theater, "Whale and Wasp" was playing in the background to set the stage. Incredible instrumental song from Jar of Flies, the first EP in history to debut at # 1 on the Billboard Rankings. Moreover, Jar of Flies was written and recorded in one week.
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After a countdown from 10, Alice in Chains started with an aggressive version of Again (hey, let me do it again, yeah!)
If I had any doubts about the reformed band and its new lead singer William DuVall, they all disappeared as soon as guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez, and William DuVall took the stage. Indeed, his voice is very similar to the irreplaceable Layne Staley.
The setlist included practically all Alice in Chains’ hits. To begin with, an electric set including Bleed the Freak, Grind, It Ain't Like That, Junkhead, Nutshell (very emotional), Them Bones, Dam That River, and Rain When I Die. At this point, the entrance was already paid for. But there was still more!
Alice in Chains returned with an acoustic set including Don't Follow, Brother, No Excuses, Killer is Me, I Stay Away, Got Me Wrong, and Down in a Hole.
That was followed by an intermission showcasing a compilation of Layne Staley videos that made the audience take a trip down memory lane.
Afterwards, they returned to continue stirring the masses with We Die Young, Heaven Beside You, Angry Chair, and Man in The Box. Does this end here? Nope. As an encore, they ended up with Dirt, Rooster, and Would. It really was one of the best concerts I have ever seen in my life.
Which was your favorite Alice in Chains concert?
And for you? Do you miss going to a rock concert? What was your favorite concert show? Look it up at Setlist.fm and comment below.1
Powerful Live as in Studio
The band has been together since 1987. It has released six studio albums. The debut album, Facelift, was released in 1990. To celebrate Facelift's 30th anniversary, MoPop2 honored them with the Founders Award in December 2020. Previously, in 2016, Alice in Chains released a Facelift Live limited special edition on vinyl for Record Store Day.
“It feels truly special to receive the MoPop Founders Award in our home town of Seattle. It’s also humbling to be joined by so many of our friends, peers, and heroes to rock some AIC tunes. I hope you enjoy the show as much as we did putting it together.” - Jerry Cantrell
This week is the anniversary of two Alice in Chains studio albums. Dirt was released on September 29, 1992, and Black Gives Way to Blue, which was the first album without Layne was released on the 17th anniversary of Dirt, on September 29, 2009.
Their most recent studio album, Rainier Fog, inspired by Mt. Rainier, the volcano that overlooks the Seattle area, was released on August 24, 2018.
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Museum of Pop Culture, formerly known as Experience Music Project (EMP), founded by the late Paul Allen