ALICE IN CHAINS DETTANO LEGGE AL MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

The legendary Alice in Chains headlined the BlackDiamondSkye tour at Madison Square Garden last night, awing fans with a brilliant set at the World’s Most Famous Arena for their fourth regional performance this year.

The BlackDiamondSkye show, named after new albums by the night’s line-up of Mastodon, the Deftones, and Alice in Chains, mixed together an intense but eclectic group of bands. Mastodon, much heralded masterminds of the so-called stoner metal genre, drew a healthy amount of fans to for their early opening slot, but still played to a mostly empty arena. With low lighting and nary a word to the audience, the band simply played several thrashy, scream-filled songs in a row, and by the end of their set, a mosh pit even broke out in the slowly filling Garden floor. Despite the wan crowd response, the group’s 40 minute set warmed up the audience for what was to come.

The Deftones, however, are a far more established band, and the general admission floor in front of the stage was nearly full by the time the California band hit the stage. The night’s second group didn’t waste time bantering with the crowd either, opening with a new song off the Diamond Eyes album before jumping back to classic Deftones favorites like My Own Summer (Shove It) and Be Quiet and Drive. Mosh pits raged in full force as Chino screamed and howled against the grinding guitars, and a wall of lights backlit the furiously playing band. The catchy grooves and crushing riffs had most of the crowd nodding along while the die-hard fans in the stands stood up and rocked out.

The song Risk was dedicated to bassist Chi, now in a coma for over two years following a car accident, and the difficulties the band has faced since then seemed to fuel the energy of the entire group. Wrapping up with their very first single 7 Words, the Deftones firmly proved that following Chi’s accident, they are back at full touring force, and still capable of vicious live shows.

But it was Alice in Chains who thoroughly and utterly owned the Friday night concert. Whereas Mastodon and the Deftones had played mostly in the dark, with projection screens providing most of the lighting, Alice in Chain’s stage lit up in a psychedelic glow of subdued colors. The 10,000 or so fans who filled the floor and lower sections of the arena roared with approval as the band opened the night with the Them Bones, Dam That River, and Rain When I Die, the first three tracks off seminal album Dirt. Vocalist William DuVall, now with the band for almost five years following original singer Layne Staley’s 2001 overdose, uncannily channeled Staley’s tortured, angry passions, sounding just like the deceased vocalist, especially when harmonizing with guitarist Jerry Cantrell.

Cantrell was virtually worshipped by the audience, with chants of “Jerry! Jerry!” ringing out between songs. Video screens, colored strobe lights, and the overall mix created a surreal atmosphere inside the giant 32nd Street arena, clouds of pot smoke mixing with artificial fog, but Cantrell’s guitar was like a blinding audible beacon, slicing through the music like a laser through steel on each solo. The guitarist gave off an aura possessed by only the truest of rock stars, a James Hetfield-like sense of badass giving way to headbanging-filled playing as he confidently strode about the stage. He was tightly locked in with bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney, the trio’s output turning the Garden into a live music video complete with animated projections and out-of-control crowd surfers.

While show was noticeably undersold in upper sections of the arena, what might have lacked in ticket sales was made up for in energy and enthusiasm. The floor, only the front half of which was general admission for reasons unclear, was absolutely packed to capacity as fans sang along to their favorite songs. The night’s setlist was an easy crowd pleaser, with DuVall picking up an acoustic guitar for No Excuses and an epic performance of Down in a Hole. New songs from Black Gives Way To Blue were also well received, with DuVall’s hypnotic passages on Check My Brain and Your Decision neatly complimenting the angrier songs of the Layne Staley era.

While typically grouped in with the “Seattle grunge scene” such as Nirvana and Soundgarden, Alice in Chains burns with the sizzle of heavy metal yet coasts on psychedelic rock grooves. Just like at March’s Terminal 5 shows, the band’s unique sound made for a hard-rocking, soul-gripping musical experience that went far beyond the noise and crush of a typical rock concert, fans throwing up their hands in open palm gestures that suggested a quasi-religious experience to anyone watching. The resurgence of Alice in Chains has reminded an entire planet of rock fans just how gripping and meaningful the band’s music can be.

The night ended with with a full sing-along on Rooster, DuVall leading the crowd on the well-known chorus, before an encore of Love, Hate, Love, Man in the Box, and the bass-led Would – watch my video of Love, Hate, Love at the bottom of this review. From front to back and up and down all levels, almost every section of Madison Square Garden had fans raising their hands and singing along until the very last note.

Friday night’s show will likely be seen as a watershed moment in Alice in Chains history. Despite its overpriced tickets, endless stairs, and uncomfortable seats, playing the vaunted Madison Square Garden is a honor typically reserved for bands who have reached the top strata of stardom. Additionally, fans seem to have moved past seeing DuVall as “the new guy,” and now speak of him as a genuine member of the band after four years of touring and widespread acceptable of the new record.

Not only have the tortured, deeply personal gravitas of AIC lyrics stood the test of time, but clearly the surviving musicians have as well. DuVall’s jazzy sensibilities bring a fresh but dead-on interpretation of Layne’s music, and the joy in the playing of Cantrell, Inez, and Kinney was apparent to all. With Madison Square Garden now the fourth New York performance within the past year, Alice in Chains is clearly back in the rock show game, and doing it very, very well. Few bands have the fan dedication, musical catalog, and raw talent of this band, and hopefully the group will continue their heavy touring schedule for years to come, because this is a show worth seeing again, and again, and again, and again.

THE EXAMINER