What an incredible night of guitar-dazzled rock in an historic concert venue known for its ornate, Egyptian-inspired decor and intimate atmosphere, holding a capacity of about 2,000. It has excellent acoustics and is the perfect spot to see your favorite band on a frigidly cold winter night. For being such a cold night, and during the week no less, there was a pretty decent turnout despite the front lobby looking completely bare.
I was very excited to be in attendance at Jerry Cantrell’s I Want Blood tour with Filter as the opening act. I caught the tail end of Filter’s set last summer, so this was my first time experiencing a full set by them. And my first ever live experience of Jerry Cantrell.
For an entire generation, no introduction is need for Filter, with their sound that blends industrial rock, alternative metal, and post-grunge, characterized by heavy guitar riffs, electronic textures, and dynamic shifts between aggression and melody. Their music often features distorted, mechanical rhythms alongside atmospheric synths, creating a raw yet cinematic feel. Richard Patrick’s vocals range from haunting whispers to intense screams, adding emotional depth to their songs.
They played mostly older favorites with just one newer song included. Patrick interacted decently with the audience throughout by announcing song names and eventually introducing the rest of the band at the end. He seemed genuinely grateful to be there, or at least that’s the vibe I got. Their performance was pretty great with songs like “Take a Picture”, “The Drowning”, and “Jurassitol”. They executed a false exit before coming back on stage for Patrick to light-heartedly joke about how they can’t leave without playing “Hey Man Nice Shot”. It is obviously widely loved by fans. I hope they come back again soon because they put on a lively and technically sound show that I would love to see again.
Jerry Cantrell is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known as the lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and primary songwriter for Alice in Chains. His distinctive guitar style blends heavy, sludgy riffs with haunting melodies, helping to define the grunge and alternative metal sound of the early ‘90s. Cantrell’s vocal harmonies, particularly with the late Layne Staley, became a signature of the band’s dark, brooding aesthetic. His solo work explores similar themes of introspection and melancholy, with albums like Degradation Trip showcasing his deep, emotional songwriting. Revered for his technical skill and emotive playing, Cantrell remains one of rock’s most influential guitarists.
I had never seen Jerry Cantrell live prior to now. And wow. I’m so glad I did not miss this show on the I Want Blood tour. I am mostly familiar with his 90s-era Alice in Chains portfolio, but I am definitely going to explore more of his other work now.
Cantrell and his band came out to a roaring crowd that was most definitely excited to be there. I could feel the collective awe of everyone to be existing in the same room as this rock god, or maybe it was just me? Probably not. The backdrop was very cool, with blue and white lighting set to the beat of the music. It felt very horror themed. Cantrell still has the same long, blonde hair he has always had, and for some reason I find that comforting. He didn’t speak a word until after about three songs. It turns out he was sick and performing to the best of his ability. And honestly I don’t think I would have noticed he was sick if he hadn’t mentioned it. The vocals were somewhat quiet here and there, which seemed like more of a tech issue than sickness. But he later mentioned a slight tech issue as well, so it was a combination of both. But without that knowledge, I would have just assumed his voice seemed quiet because his vocal harmonies always blend so seamlessly with the music and his co-vocalist. The harmonies were so good. The music was so good. The whole band was great.
It was refreshing not to see a ton of phones out in the audience. Mostly everyone there grew up without cell phones, myself included. That doesn’t mean I’m not guilty of recording songs I never in a million years thought I’d hear live. They fittingly played a cover of Aerosmith’s “Sick as a Dog” along with tons of Alice in Chains favorites like “Them Bones”, “Would”, “Down in a Hole”, “Man in the Box”, “Hate to Feel”, and “Rooster” as the closing song of the night. They played one song each from Cantrell’s first and second solo albums plus a few from his 2021 solo album along with new songs “Vilified”, “Afterglow”, “Off the Rails”, and “It Comes” from the album for which the tour is named.
The crowd was shouting “Jerry” in unison by the time they came back for the encore. He is well-loved and respected, and that was obvious from start to finish, as everyone sang along to every single Alice in Chains song. He not only seems like a very down to earth person, but he’s an excellent musician. His guitar solos were killer, and I am very grateful to have experienced seeing him and his band live. He is more than Alice in Chains, and I’m humbled to now realize that after living in the past being a 90s fanatic. It’s time to crawl out from under my rock and start listening to more of his new music.