 |
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Alice in Chains roars back into the spotlight
"Alice in Chains welcomes you to band practice."
 | REVIEW | ||||
| |||||
Those simple words appeared on the face of the hottest ticket in town Tuesday night -- a free show by one of Seattle's biggest rock bands of the 1990s.
With only 30 minutes' notice, fans lined up around the block Monday night to claim every ticket to the group's surprise hometown concert kicking off a series of U.S. club dates.
Sidelined by the death of lead singer Layne Staley in 2002, the hard-rocking Seattle band wasn't expected to tour together again. "It's impossible to have a reunion without Layne," drummer Sean Kinney said last year.
But the band's successful 2005 tsunami relief concert might have changed minds. The group was ripe for rebirth. The high-energy show at the Moore proved the band is ready to carry on in Staley's absence.
With talented singer-guitarist William DuVall filling in for Staley and helping to recapture the essence of AIC's sound, the band roared through an explosive set of old favorites, among them "Sludge Factory," "Rooster," "Would," "Man in the Box" and "Them Bones." The encore featured such dark, heavy songs as "Dirt" and "Angry Chair."
Returning to the stage after the death of a band member is difficult for any group. But Kinney, guitarist Jerry Cantrell and bassist Mike Inez handled the reunion with class, inviting Staley's family members -- among them Staley's mom, Nancy McCallum, and two dads, Phil Staley and Jim Elmer -- to the concert and showing great respect for Staley's legacy. But no one would expect less of them.
Musical guests included Ann Wilson of Heart, Duff McKagan of Velvet Revolver, Kim Thayil (formerly of Soundgarden) and Chris DeGarmo (a founding member of Queensryche). Opening the show was Sirens Sister, a new band formed by ex-members of Vendetta Red.
Seattle comedian and P-I columnist Cathy Sorbo served as master of ceremonies for a show filled with familiar faces from the early '90s Seattle rock scene.
My web site
My Yahoo!
Google
· CD review: "At Mount Zoomer"
· Foo Fighters set to rock the Key as they kick off their U.S. tour
· George Michael keeps the 'Faith'
· Knopfler rises above storm
· Cellist returns for a 'splendid, civilized time' at Seattle festival
· Lauper and troupe keep the True Colors bright
· Film about The Gits keeps singer's memory alive
· Listen Up: Vanessa Hudgens
· Listen Up: Los Lonely Boys
· Listen Up: Earlimart
· Music: Judas Priest's 'Nostradamus'
more· Winehouse sings in Spain, glass of wine in hand
· Gospel singer Wright hurt in Pa. car accident
· Barbershop faces a discord among members
· Man claims assault by Eminem in 2006 in Detroit
· Workers at Milan's La Scala plan strike
more
The SPI BlogSPI staff's blog
· Track Fans Converge in Eugene for the 2008 Olympic Trials Festival
· Seafair Milk Carton Derby at Green Lake
· Seattle International Beerfest - Suds over Schooners
The Big Blog: Music· Idol finalist Kristy Lee Cook signs record deal
· Exile in Girlville: Local bands pay tribute to Liz Phair tonight at Chop Suey
· Tim McGraw's near tussle at White River
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
