In video footage from the Unplugged broadcast, Staley sits slumped on a stool, downcast eyes mostly shielded behind a pair of dark sunglasses, hands clasped in his lap or hanging at his sides. Staley then offers a friendly, vaguely Southern-accented word of welcome to the audience as the band launches into the comparatively upbeat “No Excuses” ( Jar of Flies), the harrowing “Sludge Factory” ( Alice in Chains) and the searing self-flagellating psycho-drama of “Down in a Hole,” off 1992’s career high LP, Dirt. The album begins with a moody two-song suite of Staley’s “Nutshell” (from the 1994 EP Jar of Flies) and Cantrell’s “Brother” (off the 1992 EP Sap), a foreboding rolling-fog ballad of loss sliced through by an itchy, serpentine guitar hook. But you wouldn’t know the band was in such dire straits by the performances delivered on the powerful 13-song set (10 of which made the final broadcast.) Featuring Staley on lead vocals, singer/guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez, drummer Sean Kinney, and second guitarist Scott Olson, the AIC that shows up on Unplugged is a tight, well-practiced unit with no weak links, seemingly eager to shake off the heavy metal sludge of their studio recordings. Staley’s contributions on the self-titled LP sound literally telephoned in, or even excavated from some long-forgotten crypt.)Īfter Unplugged the original, Staley-fronted version of AIC was basically kaput. The group hadn’t performed live together in nearly three years, and their last studio record, 1995’s (underrated) Alice in Chains, had been largely recorded without Staley-perpetually battling addiction-actually present in the studio. But what I really want to talk about right now is Alice in Chains and their frontman Layne Staley-an arguably more tragic figure than even Cobain, whose turn on MTV’s signature acoustic concert program was no less haunted by the crescent-moon shadow of the Grim Reaper’s scythe poised irrevocably over his pink-hued head.īy the time the Seattle band made it to the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Majestic Theater to record their Unplugged set on April 11, 1996, they were pretty much spent. That 1994 unplugged set, of course, looms large in ‘90s alt-rock history, released just seven month’s after Cobain’s April 1994 shotgun suicide and standing-for all intents and purposes-as the epochal Seattle power trio’s final will and testament. That should be obvious from both the title of the article and lead image, but chances are you still started humming “About a Girl” and picturing Kurt Cobain’s bizarre pistachio-colored grannie sweater, regardless. "Killer Is Me" (Cut from MTV Broadcast, included on the re-release.MTV Unplugged, Alice in Chains (1996, Columbia)įirst things first: this is not a blog about Nirvana’s Unplugged in New York. "Frogs" (Cut from MTV Broadcast, included on the re-release.) "Angry Chair" (Cut from MTV Broadcast, included on the re-release.) ![]() Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, Sean Kinney, Layne Staley Inez and drummer Sean Kinney did pay tribute to Metallica, however, playing the intro to their hit song "Enter Sandman" just before "Sludge Factory" and the Intro to "Battery" before "Angry Chair" (this can be heard on the CD and the DVD). Mike Inez's bass had the phrase "Friends Don't Let Friends Get Friends Haircuts." written on it, directed at the members of Metallica who were in the audience and had recently cut their hair short. The performance featured some of the band's highest charting singles, including "Down in a Hole", "Heaven Beside You", and "Would?", and introduced a new song, "The Killer Is Me". The show marked Alice in Chains' first appearance as a five-piece band, adding second guitarist Scott Olson. It is often hailed as one of the most memorable editions of MTV Unplugged, with a reputation comparable to the famous editions featuring Nirvana, Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan. The performance was one of the band's final appearances with vocalist Layne Staley. The album was re-released as a CD/DVD package on September 18, 2007. The songs "Angry Chair", "Frogs", and "The Killer Is Me" were cut from the original MTV broadcast but are included on both the CD and home video releases. The album has received platinum certification by the RIAA and the home video release has received gold certification by the RIAA. A full length DVD of the concert was also later released in 1999. A live album of the performance was released in July 1996, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, and was accompanied by a home video release. The show first aired on MTV on May 28, 1996. ![]() ![]() Alice in Chains resurfaced on Apto perform their first concert in two and a half years for MTV Unplugged, a program featuring all-acoustic set lists.
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