Alice in Chains at the Fillmore

Same Old Trip it Was Back Then

Nov. 20- Denver, Colorado- To me, Alice in Chains was an "I just like that one song" band. That "one song" was "Would" in 1992, which led me to pick up their "Dirt" LP. Back then, I was living in a converted storage closet in the CSU dorms and spent many a night listening to that album and drawing cartoons at my desk. The album's dark tone featured songs about addiction, isolation and detachment. While some kids might have been getting stoned with foreign substances, I would trip out a nightly basis by locing myself in a small room with an Alice in Chains CD.

It wasn't until the band's third full-length album came out in 1995 that I finally realized: "hey, I guess I really like Alice in Chains". But the band didn't tour extensively for that album and had essentially broken up. Lead singer Layne Staley died of a dug overdose in 2002, with his partially deomcposed body not being discovered until 2 weeks after he had passed. A sad ending for a guy who once sang "gonna' end up a big ol' pile of them bones". I regretted that I never saw the band in concert. This summer, I was farting around the Internet one day and saw that they were planning a reunion tour. I purchased a ticket for their November 20 show sometime in August. So by the time the date rolled around, I was feeling a little less than enthusiastic at going to the show. Combined with a fairly negative review in "The Onion" that compared the band to Queen and Paul Rodgers, my excitement had dwindled. Plus, the tour was being promoted on VH1 Classic, which made me feel like I was going to see a Foghat reunion.

Yet when I got to the Fillmore and the show went down, I wasn't disappointed at all. My enthusiasm for their music had returned and I suddenly felt guilty about ever doubting the show's authenticity. Surviving members Jerry Cantrell (guitar/vocals), Mike Inez (bass) and Sean Kinney (drums) were joined by vocalist William DuVall who filled the deceased Staley's spot. I'd be lying if I said I knew of DuVall's band, Comes with the Fall.. and you would be, too. He did a admirable job of filling in and wasn't shy about jumping around the stage while getting the audiencee involved. Cantrell always sang harmony on most of Alice in Chains's tunes, in addition to some lead vocals. So essentially about 50% of the original vocal sounds are still present.

Again Bleed the Freak Grind It Ain't Like That Nutshell Them Bones Dam That River Junkhead --acoustic Don't Follow Brother The Killer is Me Got Me Wrong Down in a Hole No Excuses --plugged in We Die Young Rain When I Die Angry Chair Man in the Box --encore Rooster Would?

They opened up with the hard-driving "Again" while a series of animated video images were displayed on the stage backdrop and amplifier wall. Each song had unique graphics, which really helps to create a different feel between tunes. Alot of bands do this nowadays and it's a modern update that I wholey approve of. It was amazing how involved the crowd was. The Fillmore was either at optimum capacity, or close to it, but the entire crowd was into every song. They went right into "Bleed the Freak", "Grind" and "It Ain't Like That" before slowing down with the mellow "Nutshell". In keeping with the Ike and Tina Turner "nice n' easy, but then it's gonna' get ROUGH" formula, they shot right back with the intensity of "Them Bones" .Cantrell's distinctive guitar sound (I think he once had a name for it...like "chinge" or something) is the backbone of the band and the sound was perfect throughout the show.

The band took a mini-intermission while the stage was re-tooled for an acoustic set. To entertain the masses, a tribute video of Layne Staley was shown on the backdrop. The audience didn't seem to mind as they were still enthralled and just as ardent during this period. When the stage was re-lit for the acoustic portion, the guys returned on barstools flanked by vertical lighting.

As expected, they did most of their acoustic stuff from the "Sap" and "Jar of Flies" EP's at this time. Their moving rendition of "Don't Follow" was a highlight and one that stuck with me for the rest of the night. Since most of their acoustic numbers features duets and harmony, the audience sang along to flesh out the sound. "Got Me Wrong" went over quite well and was another highlight. They concluded the acoustic portion with a somewhat souped-up version of "No Excuses". While that's a popular song, it didn't seem to sound as crisp as I had expected. Probably because I'm used to the track's studio tinkering.

To transition back to the plugged-in portion of the show, they showed another quick video. This one was more of a band retrospective, with a mixture of home movie, concert and video footage. Including clips from their famous "Water Park" episode of Headbanger's Ball in 1993! "We Die Young" led off this portion, but I think the crowd was still pumped up from the acoustic set. Kinda' weird... the crowd was more into the acoustic stuff than the electric stuff. Things seemed to waver a bit, but the finalé of "Man in the Box" won the crowd back. By the time the band encored with "Rooster" and "Would"?, they had once again tapped into that intensity. When the audience shouted back the final reprise of "IF! I! WOULD! COULD! You.....!" it was a fitting salute and welcome back to an old friend. After the obligatory guitar pick n' drum stick tossing, Cantrell stood at center stage and held the microphone stand over the audience. The entire place shook in adulation.

Musically, the show more than satisfied me. I had the usual concert going experience and spotted "Guy Who Looks Like Jesus", plus guys who looked like Dave Mustaine, Kim Thayil (x2!), Jeff Goldblum, Kyle Gass and Sean Waltman (pro wrestler Syxx, X-Pac). Parking wasn't a problem either. Sorry, but I won't tell you my Secret Conveinent Parking Spot. On the way back to my truck, I suspected I was about to get mugged or car-jacked, though. Two big guys popped out from an alley and began following me. I made it to my truck without incident, so I was probably just being paranoid from reading too many Batman comics.

My only complaint was the opening band. A coupla' guys named "Hurt". Their set was about 12 songs too long. I think they only did 11 songs. At one point, their singer played a fiddle -- so I guess they can play in Texas. They sounded like the band Saliva, with the singer from Matchbox 20. Yeahhh....that's a combination you don't want. Their final song liberally lifted riffs from TOOL, so I was about ready to launch the double middle-finger salute to show my unbridled devotion. I don't know... I'm sure somebody's into them, but they're not for me.

For most of the night I was thoroughly entranced in the music. That's what a concert's supposed to do. I don't know if Alice in Chains is committed to recording new stuff, but I'd be willing to drop 11 bucks on a new CD. It was a kick getting buzzed on all those familiar tunes again. Same ol' trip it was way baaaaack then!

BACK to music index