Last Minute

Black Diamond Skye Tour
Alice In Chains / Deftones / Mastodon
The Event Center, San Jose, CA
Rocktober 11, 2010

Back in February, Alice In Chains played a stellar show in Oakland that ranks as one of my top gigs of 2010. When the Bay Area stop of the Black Diamond Skye Tour was announced it was a letdown because it was booked at my least favorite local venue. The February show in Oakland had been at a historic art deco theater while this show would be in a concrete box on a college campus. I decided I would pass on it.

Fast forward to the day of the gig and at 5:50pm I received a text and e-mail from the Mastodon camp saying I was "on the list" for tonight's show... DOH. To make it even more last minute, Mastodon were due to go onstage at 7:00pm and the drive from Casa de Umlaut to the venue is around an hour with Monday traffic. Long story short, Skychick and I got our shit together and made the mad dash south down Highway 101 to the valley of my birth... and on the drive we listened to the Giants wrap up Game 4 and win the NLDS in Atlanta on the radio. FUCK YEAH!

An envelope with my name on it was waiting at Will Call as promised, but unfortunately we had completely missed Mastodon's brief opening set and caught about 1/2 of the Deftones. I've never been a Deftones fan and the only other time I'd seen them was last October when they supported Slipknot in this same venue. The kidz on the floor were certainly into them but the band were definitely a contrast to Alice In Chains. I was curious how AIC's more cerebral volume would compare following the Deftones testosterone-fueled party. Missing Mastodon was the perfect reason for someone to develop an affordable transporter ala Star Trek. Can some Science Nerd get on that, please? Thanks..

As the Deftones stirred the crowd up, we walked around the concourse in search of a cold beer and a glass of classy Event Center wine. It was then I was reminded that I had seen Alice In Chains on the Dirt Tour in this very same room:

(From the Umlaut Archives)

Life and Lock 'N Loll come full circle, man. Alice In Chains were one of my favorite bands back then and here in the 21st Century they are again; what goes around comes around.

After the Deftones' set ended, and with drinks in hand, we made our way to the safe confines of the guest area at stage left. We immediately ran into several people I know including that guy who I see at alot of shows... the manager of that band... the guy who I haven't seen in a while... the tour manager of that band... and Umlaut Nation members The Bassist and Wexford Girl. The guest area also included a rather surreal mix of Bay Area Jocks and Rock Stars with 4 players from the San Jose Sharks, 1/4 of Faith No More, 3/4 of Machine Head, and local resident Tony "I Didn't Make The Playoffs" La Russa. Again, a transporter ala Star Trek would have been nice so some of the S.F. Giants could have been there to rub their NLDS victory in La Russa's Cardinal face. Can a Science Nerd PLEASE get on that...

The changeover between bands was pretty quick (20 minutes tops..) and AIC took their places onstage behind a white back lit curtain as their intro tape played right on schedule. As the intro tape ended the curtain dropped as the band went straight for the throat with 'Them Bones'... and then proceeded to play the first 3 songs off Dirt back to back to back ('Them Bones' > 'Damn That River' > 'Rain When I Die').. WOW... Epic... and, yeah, I had a flashback to that 1993 San Jose show. Pretty cool. Trivia: My hair was Jerry Cantrell-long in '93.

Umlaut's view from stage left..

Whenever I watch a band from the side of the stage my attention tends to wander as I notice things about the production... or the staging... or something in the crowd... or something a band member is doing in between songs. Tonight I became fixated on watching Sean Kinney's drumming.

Kinney's playing has kind of an odd flow about it; he plays with more of the swing and swagger of a Jazz drummer than with the caveman pounding of a Rock drummer. Kinney's demeanor is also less hyper compared to other Rock drummers which was especially evident as the band played 'Rooster':

• As Cantrell and DuVall began the song's intro, Kinney casually puffed on a cigarette ("Ain't found a way to kill me yet..."). Then he..
  
• Took a sip from a beer ("Eyes burn with stinging sweat...")...
• Puffed on the cigarette some more ("Seems every path leads me to no where...")....
• Stared up at the lighting rig ("Wife and kids household pets.. Army green was no safe bet..")....
  
• Took another sip from the beer ("The bullets scream to me from somewhere...")...
• Put the beer down next to him and took a last puff on the cigarette ("Here they come to snuff The Rooster...")...
• Picked up his sticks ("Yeah, here comes The Rooster... You know he ain't gonna die..")...
• Raised the stick in his right hand and waved it above his head ("You know he ain't gonna die..")...
• Pointed the stick at the crowd and brought it down to hit his first beat of the song ("Here come The Rooster.. yeeeeaaahhh.. He ain't gonna die...")

Pretty Lock 'N Loll... and Rock Drummer 101 in a nutshell. I should also note that I can't remember the last time I saw a band smoke onstage as much as AIC.. At any given time at least one member of the band had a fag on his lip. Lock 'N Loll. Also, it's always interesting to me what shoes Rock Stars wear onstage; it was nice to see Jerry and Mike wearing Rock Star issue pointy boots to go along with their cigarettes. Plus, I'd like to know where AIC buys their jeans.

As far as the set tonight, San Jose wasn't as transcendent as the AIC show in Oakland earlier this year. It was still a great performance and the band were definitely on the top of their game (despite Cantrell being sick). In general, it was a solid workmanlike performance by a band that's been on the road for a year. That being said, I couldn't help but notice the contrast between AIC 1993 and AIC 2010: AIC '93 onstage were powerful because of the charisma coming off the stage but the band didn't move around as much. AIC in the 21st Century are a band reinvented and with DuVall they're a more dynamic live band in some ways. It's not often a band can reinvent themselves and have their old self meld so effortlessly with the new incarnation to create something special all over again.

Anyway, it was a solid 100 minute set that was a healthy mix of old AIC and the newer songs (which I like as much as the Layne-era material). I have to say 'Rain When I Die' was the top old song for me tonight but 'Lesson Learned' was my overall favorite moment of the night. The show ending encore sprint of 'Nutshell' > 'Man In The Box' > 'Would?' was perfect. At the end of 'Would?', as he's done every time I've seen AIC, Cantrell took off his guitar and literally threw it at his tech... who caught it. As the band made their exit stage left, Cantrell came over to Tony "I Didn't Make The Playoffs" La Russa and gave him a greeting and a hug. Awww. Jocks and Rock Stars getting along... but have all Rock Stars forgotten that it was The Jocks who were the biggest assholes to them in school?? I'm just saying...

If you bought one of every Alice In Chains merch item you would have paid around $360. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. All in all, it had been an unexpected Monday night out that reminded me (once again) that The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways. To quote AIC: "In your darkest hour you strike gold..."

It Ain't Like That

Alice In Chains
The Fox Theater, Oakland, CA
February 11, 2010



There was a time back in the Clinton Administration when Alice In Chains were one of my favorite bands (click HERE for that backstory). However, once Layne Staley died they faded into my past. I was less than interested when AIC reformed several years ago with a new singer and played the old songs on a tour; I didn't want to hear it because I figured they would simply sound like an AIC cover band. The thought of anybody but Layne fronting the band was semi-sacrilegious to me. They had been one of my favorite live bands because of him and the brotherly dynamic he and Jerry Cantrell had onstage. That could never be duplicated, right?

Fast forward to last year and the new version of AIC released an album of new material. Again, I didn't want to hear it, because what would be the point, right? How many bands have reformed with new guys replacing key members and they've lacked the magic of the original band? Besides, how good could the band be after being fronted by one of the most haunted, troubled, and charismatic singers ever to live out his junkie life so openly in his music? How could any new vocalist be able to mesh with Cantrell in any kind of compelling way? The thought was semi-preposterous to me.

However, I finally relented and gave the new AIC album a listen... and, WTF, it was good... REALLY good. The new singer William DuVall sounds *just* enough like Layne but also brings his own soulful voice to the mix. It was enough like the old AIC to get my attention, but the new band had created some great songs that actually take the band to another place. Unfortunately, my doubt cost me the chance of seeing them at The Fillmore last September. It was a rookie mistake and a lesson I should already have learned after all these years. Anyway.....

Tonight's show was completely sold out in advance and it caught me off guard when a guy asked if I had any extra tickets literally 3 seconds after I picked up my envelope from Will Call. Sorry, dude... Joining Umlaut for the gig was Skychick, who is MUCH more selective about the concerts she attends than me. Skychick once saw AIC on Haight Street back in The Day (Yeah, Mookie Blaylock = Pearl Jam... yawn..)...

Image courtesy of Gloomboy

Skychick also saw Zeppelin way before she could buy alcohol legally.

Not long after entering the lobby a guy sporting a Facelift shirt stopped and asked "Are you Umlaut??" (Cheers Gloomboy!)... In the VIP Bar prior to the show we had some quality time with Umlaut friends such as John Marshall and Photo Jeff, who takes all the photos for THIS little web site for a certain band... and all other merch in the room paled to Eileen's vintage Metal Church longsleeve! For the fanboys: There were so many Metallica band members and staff in the house tonight I almost thought they were playing.

Right before the houselights went down 'Kill The King' by Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow played over the PA. Excellent! Meanwhile, a backlit sheer white curtain hid the stage and then dropped as the band eased into the opening sequence of 'All Secrets Known' > 'It Ain't Like That'... The songs immediately set the tone of the evening and perhaps also stated the band's current frame of mind via 2 songs written almost 20 years apart:

"There's no going back to the place we started from..." - 'All Secrets Known'

"See the cycle I've waited for... It ain't like that anymore.." - 'It Ain't Like That'

For the entire 2 hour set I was caught up in how mellow and at ease the band was onstage as they sailed back and forth from old to new songs. The enlightened slowburn of the William DuVall vibe here in 2010 was in contrast to the dark frenzy of the Layne Staley vibe at the shows I saw in the early-90's. I suppose the cliché is AIC are now older and wiser... which is no doubt true... but they're still a great band who still look and act like Rock Stars onstage in the old fashioned way.

Pic courtesy of Photo Ray

You know a band is from the older generation when 3/4 of them smoke onstage, including The Drummer. Real Rock Stars: A dying breed. However, DuVall (the non-smoker) nailed the old songs without sounding like he was merely in an AIC cover band; his effort on 'Rain When I Die' in particular was stunning... and the ease in which he and Cantrell shared vocals was just as stunning. Cantrell also reminded me of his place as Wah-Wah King as he utilized the 3 wah-wah pedals onstage as if he was channeling some classic 70's Porn. Wah... waka... wah wah... waka..

While the killer punch of 'Angry Chair' > 'Man In The Box' was a highlight of the set, I found myself wanting to hear more of the new songs live... and they didn't play my favorite new songs ('Private Hell' or 'Lesson Learned') which was a bit disappointing. I can't remember the last time where THE SONGS being performed were so powerful and driven by strong melodies and dynamics to the point where THE SONGS were like a physical 5th band member standing onstage (No dude, I wasn't high...). THE MUSIC is what AIC is all about now, not their dark past or drama. The songs from the Layne-era give their new material perspective and contrast while the new songs offer closure, or at least an appropriate bookend, to the darkness of the Layne-era. Since I watched the show from the old fart front of the balcony, without sweaty strangers slamming into me or beer being spilled on me, I became completely immersed in THE SONGS to the point where I felt like I was floating a couple of times (No dude, I wasn't high...).

Pic by Umlaut

I have to say it's been really cool getting back into AIC as a result of their new music and not because I wanted to relive my original fandom. I saw Jerry Cantrell on his debut solo tour in 1998 and it just wasn't the same... so it's cool that his road led back to what was left of his band and they've been able to create something new that's as good as the old. Listening to the new AIC album has been the same as discovering a new band for me. I've discovered that, yeah, this band connects with something in my brain... and it just so happens it's a band I had that connection with when I was a younger, different person and they were a younger, different band. It ain't like that anymore... which is probably a good thing, right?

At one point, Cantrell gave a shout out to some of the band's VIP guests including Mike Bordin, Robert Trujillo, and... Tony La Russa. It so happened we were literally 3 feet away from La Russa when this happened and it almost looked like he was about to step to the top of the dugout and wave his cap to the crowd... but then Tony caught himself. Cardinals suck anyway... GIANTS!!

The symbolic moment of the night for me came as the final note of the show closing 'Rooster' echoed in The Fox. The last time I saw AIC in 1993, their body language onstage was much more aggressive and embodied by Cantrell, who literally threw his guitars at his guitar tech instead of handing them to him the entire show... and I don't mean he simply "tossed" them... he THREW them at the guy. It was intense. Fast forward to this 21st Century night in Oakland and Cantrell handed his guitars to his tech at stage left during the show... but as 'Rooster' faded into the ether Cantrell took off his axe and THREW it at his tech... who caught it of course. Skychick turned to me and started to point and say something about it and I simply looked at her and said "I know..." and I'm sure I had a big smile on my face.

If you bought one of every AIC merch item you would have paid $325. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. There were far more Led Zeppelin shirts and hoodies in the crowd than any other band... Does anybody remember laughter? Me too.

Oakland Setlist Courtesy of South Bay Bret

Them Bones

Due to the recent home renovation project at Casa de Umlaut, basically everything had to be moved out of the house and then it all was moved back in. During this process I came across some detritus from my past in boxes and closets. Some of the things were items I thought I had lost, such as this:

It's the tour shirt from Alice In Chains' brief 12-city headlining tour of college campuses in April 1993 in support of the Dirt album. The tour also acted as a warm up for the band's appearance on the Lollapalooza Tour that kicked off a month or so after this trek.

Umlaut saw the April 11, 1993 show at the San Jose State Event Center and it remains one of my favorite shows ever. Dude, I was WAY into Alice In Chains. The thing that makes this shirt so cool is the front design, which features an x-ray of Layne Staley's broken foot and the metal pins that had been placed in it:


"I believe them bones are me.. some say we're born into the grave..."

If I remember correctly, he had broken his foot as the Dirt Tour started when AIC were supporting Ozzy and Layne performed those shows either in a wheelchair or on crutches. By the time this leg (pun intended..) of the tour kicked off his foot had healed and the band's sense of humor about it ruled. Good times. Awhile back, someone posted a bootleg video of the entire San Jose show on YouTube. Click HERE to see what Umlaut lived. 'Angry Chair' > 'Man In The Box' was total fucking godhead that night (see Part 7 of the YouTube videos)...

A little over 2 months after the San Jose State show, Umlaut saw AIC again on the Lollapalooza Tour when it stopped at Shoreline Amphitheater. Another great show that featured Layne giving a shout out to Testament, who were watching the set from the side of the stage. I also remember being fascinated how Jerry Cantrell, instead of handing his guitars to his tech, would literally throw them at the roadie... who caught them every time. Impressive.

Jerry Cantrell > Mike Inez - Lollapalooza '93 Picks
(From the Umlaut Archives)

A year later Umlaut was beyond stoked because 2 of my favorite bands, Metallica and Alice In Chains, were doing a Summer Tour together... AND I had fucking 4th row center seats. However, AIC cancelled off the tour literally 2 days before it started due to Layne's "health problems"... such a bummer.

The Bill That Never Was...
(From the Umlaut Archives)

The next, and final, time Alice In Chains visited San Francisco with Layne was in May 1996 when they performed on The Late Show with David Letterman during Letterman's week-long visit to S.F.. The show was broadcast from The Palace of Fine Arts and rumors were flying all week that AIC were going to play a secret show across town at The Warfield... and Umlaut had the insider friends who were going to get him in.. but alas it never happened.


Two months later Alice In Chains played their final show with Layne (Trivia: In Kansas City supporting KISS)... and I continued on my Music Geek journey while the band sank. Then 6 years later Layne was dead, but by then Alice In Chains were part of my past so it was a sad conclusion to something that I'd left behind years earlier. The End.

Thank dog I never sold my copy of the 1990 'We Die Young' 12" EP, a 3-song record that came out a month before Alice In Chains' debut album. The record is notable because it has the exclusive Non-LP song 'Killing Yourself' (a different demo version was included in the Music Bank box set) and it features THE most fucking eerie and prophetic band photo ever on the cover:


Spooky, right?! It's like the band is looking 12 years into their future..

What? Uhh, yeah I actually do like the new Alice In Chains album... To be honest, I didn't want to like it... because nobody can replace Layne.. but, yeah, I like it.. I've grown to like it alot actually. R.I.P. Layne.