Alice In Chains brings a slice of Seattle to a sold-out crowd at the mighty Pine Knob Music Theatre of Clarkston, Michigan.
It has been three long years since Michiganders have had a visit from one of the OG Godfathers of the Seattle scene, Alice In Chains. Fans have trekked from across the state, to the legendary Pine Knob Music Theater to spend a special night of musical memories with the Seattle squad. Entrance lines run deep and long as the sold-out venue fills to capacity with fans sporting their best AIC swag, spanning three decades of hits. Fast forward to game time…
9:41 pm and the stage lights drop to darkness as the amphitheater grows dim. The crowd begins to stir with excitement. Bright blue lights ignite and the silhouette of shadowy figures can be seen moving across the stage to take their positions. The moment of anticipation is abruptly halted when stage lights explode revealing Alice In Chains and the start of our night with the classic track “Again.” The crowd’s electricity roars to life as Duvall takes to the microphone and gets things underway.
The licks are fierce and the beat hits hard right out of the gate. The fans… ecstatic! “Check My Brain” is next, followed by the crunchy banger “Grind.” The band then unleashes “Them Bones” followed by a powerful performance of “Dam that River.” Cantrell‘s guitar tone is unmistakably…his! Those stinging notes, tasty “wah” pedal licks, and those screaming tube amplifiers are enough to give your soul goosebumps! Next up is “Hollow,” followed by the emotionally charged classic “Angry Chair.” As the “Chair” comes to an end, the band makes a seamless transition into the pulse-pounding intro of the megahit “Man in the Box.” Jerry Cantrell mans the talk box and his “wah” pedal and within seconds, musical memories of decades past flood over the audience as everyone in attendance joins in for the classic catlike sing-along “Yaaaa Ya Yaaa Ya Yaaa Ya Yaaaa Yooo” (come on… your humming it right now as you read this). A touching tribute to Layne Staley and Mike Starr is delivered with the tune “Nutshell.”
The band presses on with “It Ain’t Like That,” “No Excuses,” and slammin’ banger from the Rainer Fog album, “The One You Know.” We see JC taking the front position on the microphone as fans pump fists to the tune’s infectious grooves. Drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez keep the backbeat tight and in the pocket. “Got Me Wrong” is next followed by Mike Inez slapping out his unmistakable chunky bass intro to the classic “Would.” Duvall takes the mic and the powerful song keeps to its classic roots true in ethereal and mysterious form with Duvall hitting all those challenging notes right on point. Cantrell steps centerstage and rips that spooky, spine-tingling lead that rings throughout the huge amphitheater. The tune comes to a close with Duvall thrusting a fist in the air to the beat of the closing words… “If I would… could you!” Duvall yells “Thank you!” as the house lights drop immediately leaving a wide-eyed audience left in the dark… digesting what just happened. Wait … Is it over?
Seconds of emotional anticipatory darkness give way to Duvall and Cantrell returning to the spotlight, simultaneously strumming the introduction to the night’s summit… the mega-hit, “Rooster,” a song Cantrell wrote as an ode to his father and the hardships he endured during the Vietnam War. Duvall holds the mic to the audience, and together everyone sings the opening melody. The song continues with all that climactic, storytelling hypnotism that has the fans singing and feeling every word. As the last note rings out, Sean Kinney throws his drumsticks in the air as JC throws a smiling peace sign to the audience. Duvall says “Heeeeellllll Yeaaaaahhhhh! Thank you so much, Detroit! We hope to see you real soon!” Duvall and Cantrell begin to shower the crowd with guitar picks before Kinney asks the crowd to take a crowd selfie with the band. Cantrell hits the mic one last time and says, “You guys are f***ing great! Thank you so much… take care, we’ll see you real soon, alright!”
Alice In Chains is a highly recommended Loud Hailer concert experience that is a must-see for your rock n’ roll bucket list. Be sure to catch them on the road now supporting their American Tour 2022. Date details and current bad news can be found at the Alice In Chains official band website.
ALICE IN CHAINS
PINE KNOB MUSIC THEATRE
