After a 14-year absence between albums, mostly due to the tragic death of former frontman Layne Staley, Black Gives Way To Blue was a milestone in Alice In Chain’s discography. Against all odds, the band rose from the ashes not only in fantastic form, but by creating one of their finest records to date.
The reason it was great wasn’t because it saw the band returning to their sweet spot of grunge; it was great because it showed a band, already capable of so much, practically dethroning themselves in every aspect. Since then, Alice In Chains have been going strong, releasing the brilliantly titled The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here late last year and remaining a force to be reckoned with – as well as the frontrunners of grunge.
The sold out Palace Theatre was flooded with fans from the get-go, each making their voice heard as the lights dimmed and the band dominated the stage. The cheering and screaming became deafening as singer William DuVall repeatedly screeched “Ah!” during the opening moments of ‘Them Bones’. Watching everyone sing along with every single line was astounding, which also carried over to the subsequent number ‘Dam That River’.
Ignoring the collective 14-minute runtime, the group managed to squeeze in both the insanely rifftacular ‘Phantom Limb’ as well as the hellishly catchy ‘A Looking In View’, which are two of the definite highlights of both The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here and Black Gives Way To Blue’respectively. The jerky start-stop of the former left everyone in awe, and the choruses of the latter enticed fans to sing along in a typical downbeat fashion.
“A looking in view too long on the outside. Desperate plans make sense in a low life.”
There are few concerts that conjure up such a sense of dedication and respect between the band and their fans, but Alice In Chains were a sight to behold. Rarely did DuVall feel the need to provoke the audience to sing during the well-known hits, and comparatively, the crowd knew when to remain quiet during the softer numbers – especially during the monumental ‘Nutshell’, which Jerry Cantrell dedicated to the memory of Staley. It was a heartbreakingly beautiful number, with the whole crowd swaying along to its easy groove as DuVall and Cantrell took center stage, dueling their acoustic and electric.
The band outdid themselves when they closed their set with the beautifully funereal ‘Rooster’. The frontman beckoned the crowd to fill in the choir notes, which made the universal singing all the more spectacular to be a part of.
The sense of community was sometimes overwhelming, but it managed to turn what could have been simply a great gig into a very memorable live experience. During the song’s final moments, the audience loudly expressed their appreciation as the group thanked everyone before departing. But it was far from the end of the night.
Despite the applause swelling throughout the venue, the group didn’t re-emerge for quite some time, but the audience absolutely refused to fall silent. Eventually, the foursome answered the call and arrived back on stage to a thunderous applause. “We love our jobs,” DuVall sheepishly declared before launching into the one-two punch ‘Got Me Wrong’ and ‘Again’, both of which provoked an outstanding cheer from everyone.
However, it was the band’s final number that really cemented the group as the legendary live they had proved themselves to be. Despite a lot of people chanting ‘Rain When I Die’ in unison, the band ended the night with the classic of ‘Would?’, which was received greatly amongst the crowd, all of whom were throwing the chorus lines right back to the stage.
The four-piece once again thanked everyone before departing. DuVall declared that it wouldn’t be another five years before they came back again. Let’s hope he’s right.
