alice in chains mtv unplugged layne staley high

Staley immediately starts singing it as he takes a seat, without any perceived warning but somehow seamlessly matching with guitarist Jerry Cantrell's strumming. If a band can start a show, an MTV live show aired on international television, with an album track you know they're something special. Opening with Nutshell – taken from Alice In Chains' third studio EP Jar Of Flies – the track has become a staple of 90s grunge, despite never being released as a single. Every song transforms from a powerful, angry and forceful catharsis to a frustrated and haunting lament. If you were to know nothing about the band prior to listening, odds are you'd still come away moved.ĪIC's down-tuned sludgy heavy metal somehow lends itself to the acoustic format. It's not just the tragic backstory that makes Alice In Chains Unplugged a poignant piece of work, the tracks themselves are what make it a truly formidable live record. (Image credit: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images) Acoustic Alice in Chains is nothing short of haunting 'I wish I could just hug you all, but I'm not gonna,' Staley proclaims at the end of the record – and we wish we could hug you right back, Layne. The album understandably garnered a resurgence of recognition after the death of Staley, with many media outlets – even those who had given the album initially scathing reviews – praising the power of performance despite his condition at the time.

His once glowing, cheeky grin is replaced by a morose, pained half-smile, but nevertheless, his sense of humour is still prevalent and he immediately belts out Nutshell and continues to give a strong vocal performance throughout – a testament to his sheer natural talent. Sunglasses disguise his blackened eyes, long sleeves cover scars left behind from shooting up and he awkwardly clutches his hands together as if afraid to emerge from the shadows and take centre stage – quite different from the powerful vocalist we'd come to know and love. The original performance is therefore a chilling look at the tragic downfall of one of rock's most charismatic and enigmatic frontmen from glam rock loving metal star to the epitome of grunge – in the most negative sense of the word: a bedraggled junkie with scruffy pink hair awkwardly shuffles from the back of the stage and takes his seat. Staley overdosed following their concert in Kansas City on July 3 and despite the frontman recovering from the incident AIC were put on hiatus, and other than one brief recording two years later, where the band briefly reunited to record the songs Get Born Again and Died for Music Bank, Alice in Chains never played with Staley again. His final ever performance was in the same year, when Alice in Chains replaced Stone Temple Pilots in an opening slot for the newly reunited Kiss.

Alice in Chains Unplugged marked the second to last performance from Staley, who was battling a crippling addiction to heroin that was poignantly chronicled through the band's dark and agonising lyrics.

Alice in chains mtv unplugged layne staley high