2 Alice in Chains @ Moore Theater (9-24-09)

“I’m Jerry Cantrell, and we are Alice in Chains”

Despite being slightly over shadowed by a 2 night Pearl Jam extravaganza at Key Arena this week, the mighty Alice in Chains took the Moore Theater by storm last night, and showed all 2,000 in attendance that they are not just a nostalgia act, but a full fledge force to be reckoned with.

This was not the first Seattle show the band has played since making singer William Duvall a full time member. They have played 2 shows at the Moore Theater prior, one proper, and one a free gig that I was second in line for. They blew Velvet Revolver off the stage at the Gorge in 2007, and if you count the secret EMP/SFM show back in August that makes 4 shows since 2005’s Tsunami benefit reunion of Jerry, Sean, and Mike.

What made last night so special and unforgettable was that it marked the first Seattle show to include new material by the group since they reformed. Alice in Chains is set to release their brand new record on Tuesday the 29th entitled “Black Gives Way to Blue”, and though it’s slightly bad timing playing their Seattle show right before the release date, it was still great to hear 4 of the 11 new Alice in Chains songs live.

Since the beginning of the current tour the internet has been crawling with live video of AIC’s first two singles “Check My Brain”, and “A Looking in View”, so it was no surprise that both songs would sound great, and “Check My Brain’s” chunky Chains riff fit perfectly among the classics. The other two songs which made their way onto the set list included Acid Bubble; a slow, sludgy, meandering tune that eventually switches gears into some filthy riffage by Cantrell. Possibly the most memorable moment of the night came during the first song of the encore. Jerry came out of the darkness and took a seat on a stool with his trusty acoustic guitar; next to him was an empty stool and microphone. This stool wasn’t meant for William Duvall but for fallen front man Layne Staley, whose presence in the room could be felt by everyone in attendance. Jerry played the beautiful title track off the new record, “Black Gives Way to Blue”. It was a fitting and moving tribute to Layne, and from my vantage point it looked like it was a very hard thing for Jerry to get though, and so I applaud him. It was amazing!

The band looked like they were having so much fun on stage together; smiles were frequent especially from the permagrinned Mike Inez. Alice in Chains owned the Moore Theater, it’s their spot in Seattle and they seemed so at home in the confines of the historic theater where things originally took off.

Highlights of the night were definitely the 4 Facelift songs on the setlist; “It Ain’t Like That”, “Man in a Box” and the neck snapping version of “We Die Young” put an ear to ear grin on my face. The night was also boosted by a bone chilling version of Love, Hate, Love after which William Duvall absolutely killed it, everyone around me was muttering how fucking great he sounded. This fan loves hearing that type of chatter. Duvall channels Staley’s vocal style so closely it’s crazy, not mention his range is inhuman. It’s also an extremely eerie thing to hear Jerry and William sing together, and even after seeing them do it now 5 times, I still got chills down my spine on multiple occasions last night.

I was a very lucky man to even have gotten my hands on tickets for last night's performance since they sold out within minutes of going on sale to the public, but to top it all off I had one of the best seats in the house, a fully unobstructed view in the first row of the balcony. And despite not being on the floor it was also one of the most intimate shows I’ve been to in some time. It felt really good to be a part of something so genuine; the guys were so appreciative and humbled by the crowd reaction. In turn they reacted back, as Jerry played most of his solos on a box that was basically in the audience. It was almost as if I was watching the show in the comforts of my living room, except I was singing every word to every song at the top of my lungs. I felt sorry for the guy next to me who looked like he was dragged to the show, he missed out big time.

Despite the despicable reactions I’ve read about them continuing under the moniker AIC by respected local music journalists and fans alike, they are back and here to stay. This music fan will never turn my back on the influence, legacy, and shear awesomeness that is Alice in Chains, and I will continue to champion a band that not only engaged my musical prowess at age 11 but also were instrumental in making Seattle the music mecca that it is today.

Set List 9/24/09:

Rain When I Die

Again

Check My Brain

Them Bones

Dam That River

A Looking In View

We Die Young

Nutshell

Love, Hate, Love

God Am

Acid Bubble

Angry Chair

Man In A Box

Would?

Encore:

Black Gives Way To Blue

It Ain't Like That

No Excuses

Rooster

More photos and video to come....