Even in the post-Lane Staley era, Alice in Chains continues to establish themselves as one of the best and most durable bands from the Seattle grunge explosion. Now, with singer William DuVall taking the reigns, the band takes on a new identity while at the same time staying true to form. Though DuVall’s voice is similar to Staley’s, he offers a completely different presence – a presence that has not only been accepted by hard core Alice in Chains fans, but one that also works with the band’s chemistry. DuVall is not just a replacement singer, he is now Alice in Chains, and he proved that last weekend as the band headlined Charter One Pavilion in downtown Chicago with the support of The Deftones and Mastodon.
Opening with “Them Bones”, Alice in Chains was off to a thunderous start. Guitarist and founder (along with Staley), Jerry Cantrell, blasted away with low, gut-grabbing tones that seemingly shook the ground. Though an outdoor arena with Lake Michigan on one side and skyscrapers on the other may not have been as ideal as the Riviera or Aragon Ballroom, the band made it work quite well. A set containing roving spotlights faced out from the smoke-filled stage with rings of blinking lights appearing around the beams on occasion. Cantrell and DuVall switched back and forth from center stage to a microphone stand placed on a riser adjacent to Sean Kinney manning the drums, as leads vocals occasionally changed and just for the sake of variety.
Alice in Chains is a fantastic live act. DuVall and Cantrell’s harmonies were warm and haunting. Overall, the sound of the band was dominant, precise, trancelike and forceful when it needed to be, while their presence was dark and commanding. Like any band with so many great songs in their repertoire, they couldn’t play every song demanded by the fans, but it was a fully satisfying set nonetheless. Included in their Chicago performance was “Acid Bubble” and “Check My Brain” from their latest release When Black Gives Way to Blue a handful of songs from Dirt such as “Dam That River”, “Angry Chair” and “Rooster”. The band also played “Again”, but did suffer technical difficulties during the first half of the song as DuVall’s microphone failed to work. Finally, they ended with encores “Man in the Box” and “Would?”.
The Alice in Chains age with DuVall has begun and, with no disrespect to the late, great Layne Staley, it is apparent it will be a good one.
