Nutshell was basically his eulogy…. Given what happened to Layne, he basically was singing his life and what he was going through in this performance. He’s one of the many iconic voices of the “grunge era” RIP 🌹🌹
The thing about Layne is that he was a tragedy, and we got to witness it. His demons were what made him the unique, awesome, poetic thing we got to embrace. They also were his demise. RIP brother. Hope you're in a better place.
The one thing I hate is that many people view the drug addiction as his only obstacle when there was so many things that happened that hurt him mentally and that his depression is what probably fueled his addiction. From his father leaving him just to come back into his life when he became rich and famous just to score drugs to his fiancé having died from the affects from drug addiction as well. You can tell he was never the same once her demise started and her death.
@@texthit I wish more people knew about Laynes life he faced so many fucked up problems it truly is one of the saddest stories in music. The absolute best to ever do it no one will ever come close to layne
Layne was NO tragedy. He was a gift to us all. I want everyone, and so would he, to stop focusing in on his substance abuse. He was a GIFT to us all and please remember THAT. He was so proud, and the media and the world STOLE that from him. THEY DID. And that is a fact because I not only knew him, but I was alive in that time, and they purposely sought out to make him the "poster boy" for his substance abuse struggles. THEY TORTURED THAT MAN. And he was a very KIND and HONEST man which was a double-edged sword. His TRUTH and HONESTY are what the stupid MSM used AGAINST him. They NEVER highlighted his TALENT and gifts. They focused on his personal struggles which he ALWAYS was honest about. Talk about EVIL people. Let this man rest in peace and please stop bringing up his substance abuse. It's 2022, we ALL know now it's REAL. His candor was his ultimate strength which is what resonated with so many people.
Written in honor of Andrew Wood (Would)... lead singer of Mother Love Bone.... the band that would later replace the deceased Wood with lead singer Eddie Vedder and rename themselves Pearl Jam... of course, Chris Cornell would become the lead vocalist first to form Temple of the Dog, a band formed to give tribute to Andrew Wood. So Mother Love Bone loses Andrew Wood... Chris Cornell joins the band and renames it Temple of the Dog. In their song, Hunger Strike Eddie Vedder is invited to share lead vocals in what would be the first performance with his future band mates. Pearl Jam is formed with Eddie Vedder as the new lead singer. Would is a song honoring Andrew Wood by Alice in Chains. These guys are all good friends.
@@brandonfreeman6517 “sure” what? Layne was a friend I groupied with in ‘92 on the West coast .. and a wonderful human or id have never named my only son after him. If u have social media i have tons of pics … just sayin… #hatermuch
This song always hits you in the soul. Layne was suffering from his drug addiction here. Also lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell was dealing with food poisoning. This is my favorite band so trust me when I say this, please react to "Love, Hate, Love" from their live performance at the Moore. It was early in their career and I promise it is one of the greatest live performances in rock history. You will appreciate Layne's vocals even more. Thanks for another great reaction.
There's an interview that Jerry Cantrell did on Lars Ulrich's radio show or podcast or whatever. They've been friends for a long time so it's more a conversation than an interview. Metallica was present in the audience for this Unplugged show, and the two of them discuss it during this interview. Lars made the point that not every band can do acoustic shows because if you're going to strip away all of the electric gear and distortion and the like, "there had better be a song under there." I'd say AiC lived up to that.
For sure. I remember a similar conversation amongst some folk after the Nirvana Unplugged as well. People were surprised that Nirvana's songs were actually good and well-written under the distortion, bombast, and screaming. Good bands are good bands and good songs are good songs, no matter what genre you dress them in.
Love what you said about mental health. I struggled from my teens and did not get real help until my 30's. Ended up homeless once. I got out of with a lot of help from friends and medical. In my fifties now and doing well. Still struggle at times but life is pretty good. So those who struggle with mental health. You can do it! You can make it! You can contribute to Life! Love you all🥰
Anthony, I feel for you bro, truly. I have too struggled with my mental health from a young age. I have been in some very dark places and made unsucsessful attempts on my life (happily). I am also in my fifties now and am holding it together. I still go to a dark place on occasion but I have some good people around me which helps. You are right you can make it, you just have to hold on through the hard times and things will become lighter for you.
At least y'all have good people around you. When I'm in my dark places I got nobody and I been struggling all my life. Folks have either turned there backs on me or told my secrets. Cheers to you all for another day.
Amber you make me want to send you back a virtual hug, because I felt like I just got one from you. I fight every day to stay positive, but it’s not always easy (I’m a disabled veteran). I’ve lost more friends and acquaintances to suicide than I ever lost in the fights or in other accidents. Today’s a rough day, pain-wise, and I almost didn’t watch your video. But you and Jordan made this worth the click and the time. I only wish I could like this more than once!
Layne was so sick during this performance and he still killed it. AIC is one of my all time favorite bands. Layne Staley has such a haunting and unique voice 🖤 I recommend listening to Mad Season. His band with a few other Seattle musicians. Now they were amazing!
Layne was such a beautiful soul. His singing released/shared some of his pain, and you both made that connection. Thank you for your wonderful reaction.
Amber, you are spot on with him "wailing" for help with his "ooohs". And it pulls at my heart strings every time. (Typing this with tears in my eyes). Thank y'all for covering this beautiful song. 😊🙏💯❤
You should do Would, Junkhead, Rain When I die, Down in a Hole, and any other song from Dirt. Do the studio versions though. Layne's voice is so much better. It works in this song, because he makes you feel what he's feeling.
@@sayrerowan734 Nirvana was good as well, I just wasn’t as huge a fan of Cobain’s voice as Layne and Eddie. And STP was another good one, but still couldn’t touch the other 2. Magic happened for Layne that night as one of his last performances, and as one of Eddie’s first.
My absolute favorite band!!! I think "Would" is their best song. Both Layne and Jerry Cantrell, the guitarist, work their gorgeous harmonies on that song.
It wasn't really. He died another 6 or so years afterwards . If you wanted to hear his last tunes it would be Died or born again by Alice in vhains. Such a shame as you can notably hear his lisp at that time in his life due to tooth loss and heavy drug use
@@chrisg1772 Yeah he lived another 6 years. People are really I'll informed about Layne. In the early 2000s he would go hang out at the bar down the street, sit in the corner by himself and drink water all night until they had to kick him out at closing
This is not a Performance its an Experience. We are just the lucky ones that get to witness it. Laynes story behind this unplugged set is very very dark and sad. He was high on dope and had very specific intstructions for the lighting, and camera angles. You can Look up all the behind the scenes to this set. Also Metallica’s James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich were in the audience to witness this Genius…. Incredible Band and Singer gone way too early! He became a mere Mortal when He OD! Much love to Everybody and RIP Layne!
You’re so right, Amber and Jay. Some of the greatest genius of our era also sadly overindulged and/or self medicated…some like Layne, Janis, Jimi, Prince, and others…sadly, imploded. You two appreciate the music decades later, that’s the best tribute to these artists…their music lives on. Stay sweet!! 💚
Glad ya'll did this one, great song. You should check out "River of Deceit" by Mad Season. It was a one album supergroup that had guys from Alice and Pearl Jam. Layne sang lead on that.
Yay! So excited you did some Alice In Chains unplugged. Down in a Hole gets a lot of reactions, but honestly every song in the performance is great. You should also do some of the tracks from their EP Jar of Flies.
The beautiful haunting sound of his voice still gives me chills. Absolutely soul crushing, what happened to him. We didn't want him to go. He just couldn't beat it. It was a huge loss. But to see him sing live like this, it seems like he is still here. And to see how he is reaching you, and people of your and other generations even today, gives me a melancholy yet warm feeling. He lives on through the music. Thank you for reacting to this song.
Layne Staley, gone and still SORELY missed. I don't think I've heard this song since I last listened to Jar of Flies twenty years ago. "No Excuses" is another great track from that album. "Again", though is among my favorite AIC songs. Thanks for the deep dive!
Bassist Mike Inez said of "Nutshell" when asked what song makes him think of Layne Staley the most: I think the No. 1 for me is "Nutshell." Layne was very honest with his songwriting. And in "Nutshell," he really put everything in a nutshell for everybody. That song still gets me choked up whenever I play it. I get a little teary-eyed, and sometimes when we're doing the arena runs especially, they'll have some video footage of Layne. And I look and see me and Jerry [Cantrell, vocals and guitar] and Sean [Kinney, drums] looking the wrong way. We're not looking at the audience, we're looking back at Layne, and it's pretty cool that there's still that song for us. Yeah, it's just a sad thing.
The entire Alice In Chains Unplugged DVD is absolutely incredible. Down In a Hole is such an amazing song you need to do that one , the acoustic guitar playing and Jerry and Laynes harmonies in this concert are unreal.
As much as I love AIC and Layne, it's still hard for me to watch/listen to the Unplugged session. He was wasting away in front of the world... you can see the pain in his face and hear it in his voice. What's worse, he makes you feel what he felt. I still miss his gift. P.S. Jerry is dropping a new solo album this week.
I was fortunate to get to see AIC with Layne before he passed away. They opened for KISS in 1996 and I saw them at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY. It was an incredible performance! Speaking of Rock voices, don't forget Chris Cornell's incredible voice.
You should really listen to Rooster. It’s about Jerry Cantrell’s dad Jerry is the lead guitarist for Alice In Chains who was raise in Atoka Oklahoma. The song Rooster was a song about his dad who served over in Vietnam in the 60’s. His dad was a bad ass over there.
I've been very fortunate to see some of the most astonishing bands that come out of the grunge scene from the Pacific Northwest. I was in High School in the early 1990's living near San Francisco, and had parents who gave me space to evolve into my own person. Example: My best friends and I got into a stranger's van and this dude took us to Seattle so we could see Nirvana... not a smart thing to do in hindsight. I got to see Alice In Chains three times at the height of their popularity. Twice in San Fran, once in Portland. The show in Portland was at a small venue where we got within feet of him, and just watching him, listening to the inflections in his voice, he was hurting bad and we all knew it as we watched. Layne without even trying could bring an entire room to tears or near tears. He was special, he was talented, and he was beloved by so many. RIP Layne
I was lucky enough to see AIC and i can tell you there is nothing more emotional that 25,000 singing "Would" together. It was an amazingly emotional experience that i will remember forever. Layne was able to weave a verbal tapestry of emotion with the range to make any wanna be try hard, never gonna make it singer turned vocal coach jealous with envy...why? because he had it in spades and didnt even have to try. AIC forever... sincerely, - some guy lucky enough to be a teenager in the 90s -
@@jrshelton3398 that quote about someone singing at their own funeral is on every AIC Unplugged reaction I've watched. It's an excellent description I've seen numerous times. That's what I'm "rambling " about.
As just a regular person Aaron Lewis ' song "Layne" is the closest personal impact he had on me. I was blessed to grow up in the generation with Layne and have missed his absence for almost 20 years. Let that man take his seat he earned his place at the table. He saved a generation of us we were blessed.
I worked at NAF. My boss was the lead sound guy for Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Also Queensyche - check the out - Silent Lucidity. Anyways, Layne's voice was so powerful that you could hear him as a source of sound during the show, above the stage mix. Mind blowing.
I got to meet Layne and the band when they toured with Van Hagar on the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge tour at Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion back in 1991 when I was a Manager for Dominos Pizza, I was waved through the back gate, with 10 Pizzas, and they where all standing around their Bus just hanging out when I dropped the pizzas off to them. I hung out for about a half hour just talking to them, and Layne was so nice, very kind, and so down to earth, they were all very cool. A fond fond memory. RIP Mr. Staley. Respect.
Layne Staley gives a master class on singing in the live performance at the Moore of Love, Hate, Love. The lyrics are dark but it is amazing to watch. Also, the unplugged version of Down in a Hole is beautiful. The harmonies are perfect.
This one one of the, if not the last performance by Layne with Alice in chains. He would eventually lock himself in his condo and waste away alone until the drugs took him. Easily one of the best and most potent singers during that era.
Most people don't talk about that the 6 foot Layne was 86 pounds when they found him. 😒 As a recovered drug and alcohol addict myself, I get how difficult it is to pull yourself out once you've hit rock bottom. There are only 3 outcomes for untreated addicts - jail, institutions, and death. I've done them all including almost dying twice. Layne was hell bent on death. Once someone gets to that point, well... I get it, unfortunately. Grateful for my one day at a time adding up to many years but all it takes is once for me & I know I will die. No question. RIP to Kurt, Layne, Chris, & Scott. Keep going Eddie!
@@dark_neverland I don't consider it the Big 4 - it's the Big 5. To my ears: Kurt had rawness Cornell had range Vedder has control Staley had power Weiland had versatility I've heard it said that because STP came out of San Diego rather than Seattle they weren't true grunge - they copied it which is why they don't add Scott. Makes no sense. I believe its called "influenced". Haven't all musicians taken from & then created their own? There's a video of Scott singing Plush acoustic on park bench. To deny his voice as a staple of the genre just doesn't hold water with me. 😉
I seldom leave comments but felt it necessary due to the understanding you two display with this song, as well as with other songs, your musical IQ isn't unnoticed and is commended (BRAVO). This songs reaches down deep inside you, you hang on every word sung by Layne, leaves you wanting more, but you know its all he had to give with this one. I agree about the base, especially on this song, it is absolutely........HAUNTING!
The respect, recognition, and appreciation you all have for him is genuine and heartfelt. And to think most people in this world won't come to know or appreciate the genius that is Layne Staley. RIP Layne. Thank you for the gems you have left us with.
Absolutely love you two! Love how you were moved just after him singing just one note! You absolutely must hear him sing "Love Hate Love ", the live version from The Moor in Seattle. I just subscribed to you and can't wait to watch more!
An amazing rock voice would be Geoff Tate from Queensryche. Try Empire, Jet City Woman and Silent Lucidity, to get you started :) Even my voice teacher back in the day admired him
IMO Alice In Chains was the best band to come out of the grunge era. This was my favorite unplugged too. Try Sea Of Sorrow or Bleed The Freak. If you want to hear Jerry Cantrell on lead vocals try Heaven Beside You.
Girl, you touched me and brought tears to my eyes. I have been an Alice In Chains fan for I guess now about 30 years. Your understanding of his turmoil moved me. Thank you
Thank you guys for sharing the unplugged version! I moved to Seattle for work in the 90s. I saw Alice in Chains headline Lollapalooza 91 and were frikin amazing! Then PRIMUS followed to close the show and BLEW THE ROOF OFF! I have always loved all Alice in Chains music yet never followed them or new about the members. Just a couple years ago I watched their Unplugged set and it moved my soul! Songs and CDs of theirs I listened to for years. This set is more than special. Seeing Layne and Jerry harmonize and band mesh is a gift for so many. So please keep sharing this set song by song and know you are sharing that gift. Fun fact: the bass guitar has writing on it you can see... "friends don't let friends get haircuts" ment to be read by big executives in the front row. A poke at METALLICA who's members had recently cut their long heavymetal hair short for the first time... EVER! James, Lars, Kirk, and Jason where guest in the audience.
alice in chains was one of the biggest grunge bands in the 90s. this video was in 1996. layne stayley was heavily into drugs during this performance, he died a few years later due to an overdose at just a young age
❤️ I think most people only ever hear music but to others it is transcendent it gets you somewhere else and from your video I can absolutely see that you guys truly love music. That whole set on MTV unplugged was a masterpiece I listen to it regularly. Absolutely the most underrated band from the 90s. A song I would love for you to react to is "if I get high" by nothing but thieves Live recording. The vocalist is utterly incredible. I hope you give it a listen if not a reaction video.
Oh I'm so happy that you like and love my favorite band and singer. Alice in chains saved my teenage years and now I am 40 years old and still listen to them. Thank you guy's for great reactions. Love from Iceland
The Unplugged show in 1996 is so heartbreaking to watch because he was deep in his heroin addiction (and yes, I know he was doing other drugs on top of Heroin). His liver was damaged and he knew it. He was just high enough to do the show to deal with the withdrawal symptoms and so he didn't get dope sick. He was such a ghost of himself during Unplugged. (Of course, Jerry had food poisoning) All Jerry saw when he looked over at Layne was his best friend was going to die soon due to the path Layne had chosen for his life. That show was filmed in April 1996, premiered in May 1996. They did four shows with KISS in June-July 1996, after which Layne survived an overdose and became a recluse. After that, it was a 6-year-long slow suicide. On Unplugged, Scott Olson was the second guitarist. He was there to boost the guitar sound on the stage. Layne was better Live than the studio version. LOVE HATE LOVE live at the Moore in December 1990 is UNTOUCHABLE PERFECTION performed live by a rock band. Other rock bands should strive to have a live performance that perfect. Layne Staley's vocal range can run rings around any other grunge singer in my opinion. Layne could sing the phone book and never hit a wrong note. Even at the end of his life, with no teeth and a lisp, his voice, wit and humor were all still there. Layne's voice and vocal range were so powerful he did NOT need auto tune or pro-tools until he lost his teeth and had a lisp around 1998, and even then he still killed the vocals. (He started losing his teeth in 1995 due to grinding) Barrett Martin (who played with Layne in Mad Season) said that when he stood to the side of the stage, he could hear the sound of Layne's vocal resonance come out of Layne's body LOUDER than it did coming out of the speakers, Layne's voice was that powerful. I'm in the camp of No Layne/No Chains, because no matter which singer you put up there to sing those songs, it'll only be a cover. Layne had a unique voice you cannot replicate or replace. A lot of those songs were great because Layne pretty much wrung his entire soul out singing them, others were personal to Layne and to have someone else sing those, the songs lose their meaning because the new guy didn't go through the ordeals those songs are inspired by. William DuVall singing THEM BONES on the 2006 reunion tsunami gig.... William DOES NOT have the power in his voice that Layne had especially for that song. Maynard James Keenan could get remotely close to Layne's vocal range for that song (and many others). And Maynard would have the reverence for Layne's memory, he was friends with Layne, he KNEW Layne, had a history with Layne, and saw what Layne went through from Lollapalooza 93 until Layne became a recluse. Besides, Maynard already had 3 bands going on, why not join a fourth band? He had tried rehab 13 times, but he could never completely give it up. He tried quitting cold turkey on two of the last attempts at rehab, but neither one worked either. Mad Season is made up of Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, and John Baker Saunders and they all went through rehab. They all got together and dragged Layne out of his condo, got him excited about doing ABOVE album, thinking if he was creative he wouldn't want the drugs, and for the length of time it took to do that, Layne was excited about the project, but it didn't curb his drug habit. Layne wrote the lyrics to the songs he sang on the ABOVE album (minus the John Lennon cover song I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier) and he drew the cover art for the album. NUTSHELL was about how magazines like FOR EXAMPLE Rolling Stone only reported on Layne's addiction as if that were the only thing that defined the band as well as Layne's depression. Rolling Stone magazine has some unknown thing to do with the Hall of Fame, and after what Rolling Stone did to Layne and the band in the 1996 The Needle and the Damage Done article ("Oh no, it will be about the music" "Oh yeah, the band's picture will be on the cover" turns out it was only Layne on the cover and the article focused on Layne's addiction -- which Layne DID NOT want to happen -- and everything going wrong internally with the band.) that pissed off AIC management and the entire band to the point they threatened to kick the writer, Jon Weiderhorn's ass over it. I don't see Rolling Stone chomping at the bit to vote AIC into the Hall of Fame. Although if they do finally get in with William as the singer and NOT Layne. I'm going to be pissed. As far back as late 1992, Rolling Stone has personally had a bone to pick with Layne Staley, even though I can name a dozen bands who wrote about drugs in their lyrics that Rolling Stone never cared to target before or after Layne came along. Layne’s mentioned Rolling Stone hounding him in passing to Riki Rachtman during the New Orleans episode of Headbanger’s Ball in late 1992 when Layne and Mike Starr tour New Orleans and a Voodoo museum with Riki back then. There were other magazines and "reporters" BEFORE 1996 that hounded Layne over his drug addiction. Rolling Stone wasn't the only rag mag to do it. Spin Magazine and many other tabloid music mags only wanted to focus on Layne's addiction. It's why they stopped doing interviews for the longest time, and after the 1996 Rolling Stone interview, they closed ranks and as far as I know, while Layne was alive they never granted another interview. They DID do Rockline in 1998 (Layne called in while Jerry was promoting his Boggy Depot solo album) and 1999 (when the band was promoting Nothing Safe and the Music Bank box set). But for the most part, they closed ranks around each other. MTV (and the music industry) has more or less blackballed Layne (and yet, they laud over Kurt Cobain every April 5th, because Kurt was the "face of grunge", meanwhile Layne gets a "by the way"). The Grammys went so far as to invite Jerry, Mike, and Sean to the Grammy show in 2003 and then refused to put Layne's picture up in the memorial of the musicians who died in 2002. (Or they "forgot" to) which pissed Jerry, Mike, and Sean off and they walked out on the show. Even though the music industry would like to have written him out of history, Layne DID exist. He was on this earth for 34 years. In that time he wrote songs that gave a normal person insight into the mind and journey of an addict. The pain and depression he endured to write the most brutally honest lyrics a musician could write concerning his feelings on his own addiction, his depression, and the tumultuous relationship with his former fiancee Demri. The emotional and physical strength he had to perform those songs live when all he wanted to do was curl away and lose himself in the drug haze I can’t imagine what it was like for him. He was hounded by the press about his addiction. He was ridiculed for his addiction. The music industry blackballed him for his addiction. The Grammys forgot about him when he died. As far as MTV and music rag mags like Rolling Stone were concerned he’s just another addicted singer. They don’t want to acknowledge his contributions to music. Layne Staley WASN'T just some rock star junkie. HE DESERVED BETTER than what he received from the people around him who he thought mattered. He wrote about drugs, his addiction, what he was feeling and what he was going through with maturity and knowledge well beyond his years. He didn’t deserve to be turned into tabloid cannon fodder by the press. I remember a show in London on February 26, 1993 where a reporter who was based in London wrote about a concert they did in another part of Europe and got Mike Inez confused with Mike Starr. Layne got on the microphone between them finishing HATE TO FEEL and beginning ANGRY CHAIR and said, "I want to say um, I want to say hello to the guy who wrote the review on the show a few weeks back. You’re in London - an enemy. I want to introduce our bass player, MIKE INEZ, not Mike Starr, you fucking idiot! Fuck that prick! Fuck the press! We’re not playing for the fucking press, all right?” "Layne was just an incomparable talent. He was like a fucking myna bird. Any accent or sound or voice, he could just immediately repeat it. He just had a gift. And I’d like to think that I have a bit of a gift myself. One of the funniest descriptions I’ve ever heard, and I don’t know that it’s true, but it just sounds fucking great, was we sound like “the satanic Everly Brothers.” Together we were kind of a two-headed monster. It added a lot of depth to the material the way we worked together." -- Jerry Cantrell (Noisey, June 7, 2018) My Top 20 AIC songs... Love Hate Love (Live at the Moore, December 1990...Layne Staley in his prime and is UNTOUCHABLE PERFECTION performed live by a rock band. All other rock bands should strive to have a live performance this perfect), Man in the Box (Live at Weedsport, NY 1991 - the Layne’s Pissed Version...though the original version may be better to react to, because Weedsport was during Clash of the Titans tour where Slayer fans were giving the band crap and Layne got pissed and changed the lyrics), Bleed the Freak (Live at the Moore, December 1990), It Ain’t Like That (if you need a video use Singles Pro Shot video), Queen of the Rodeo (Live in Dallas, TX 1990), Real Thing (Live ANYWHERE), Them Bones, God Smack (Live at Hollywood Rock, 1993), Grind, Again, No Excuses, Brush Away, Frogs, Sludge Factory (During MTV Unplugged 1996, Layne screwed up the 2nd verse like 8 times, though the show only included one of those times), What the Hell Have I, God Am, Got Me Wrong, Swing On This, Social Parasite, We Die Young
I can't make it through this song without crying. We've lost so many incredible artists. RIP Layne Staley
Don’t do 💉 needles…
Amen
@@shawnwillis767 if that's all you can see or he have to say. I'm sorry you're so simple minded and can never see a bigger picture
@@motivationmike4722 Right on brother. No man should tell another man how to deal with life. Layne was sick, simple as that.
I'm crying now
Nutshell was basically his eulogy…. Given what happened to Layne, he basically was singing his life and what he was going through in this performance. He’s one of the many iconic voices of the “grunge era” RIP 🌹🌹
Wouldn't call them a grunge band
@@stanleymyrick4068 they are absolutely grunge
@@kenday5735 Metal Blues if you wanted to put a label on them. But not grunge.
@@stanleymyrick4068
Everyone but you calls them grunge, and will continue to do so.
@@elbruces i think the band members said they were blues metal, but you do you
The thing about Layne is that he was a tragedy, and we got to witness it. His demons were what made him the unique, awesome, poetic thing we got to embrace. They also were his demise. RIP brother. Hope you're in a better place.
Yes🥲
The one thing I hate is that many people view the drug addiction as his only obstacle when there was so many things that happened that hurt him mentally and that his depression is what probably fueled his addiction. From his father leaving him just to come back into his life when he became rich and famous just to score drugs to his fiancé having died from the affects from drug addiction as well. You can tell he was never the same once her demise started and her death.
@@texthit I wish more people knew about Laynes life he faced so many fucked up problems it truly is one of the saddest stories in music. The absolute best to ever do it no one will ever come close to layne
Layne was NO tragedy. He was a gift to us all. I want everyone, and so would he, to stop focusing in on his substance abuse. He was a GIFT to us all and please remember THAT. He was so proud, and the media and the world STOLE that from him. THEY DID. And that is a fact because I not only knew him, but I was alive in that time, and they purposely sought out to make him the "poster boy" for his substance abuse struggles. THEY TORTURED THAT MAN. And he was a very KIND and HONEST man which was a double-edged sword. His TRUTH and HONESTY are what the stupid MSM used AGAINST him. They NEVER highlighted his TALENT and gifts. They focused on his personal struggles which he ALWAYS was honest about. Talk about EVIL people. Let this man rest in peace and please stop bringing up his substance abuse. It's 2022, we ALL know now it's REAL. His candor was his ultimate strength which is what resonated with so many people.
@@biancakyne7292 the media didn't make him a drug addict
RIP Layne Staley. To me "Would" is one of the best rock songs of all time, mainly due to his incredible delivery
YES
Ironically written in honour of another artist who died from drugs. Best "grunge" song ever IMO.
Written in honor of Andrew Wood (Would)... lead singer of Mother Love Bone.... the band that would later replace the deceased Wood with lead singer Eddie Vedder and rename themselves Pearl Jam... of course, Chris Cornell would become the lead vocalist first to form Temple of the Dog, a band formed to give tribute to Andrew Wood.
So Mother Love Bone loses Andrew Wood...
Chris Cornell joins the band and renames it Temple of the Dog. In their song, Hunger Strike Eddie Vedder is invited to share lead vocals in what would be the first performance with his future band mates.
Pearl Jam is formed with Eddie Vedder as the new lead singer.
Would is a song honoring Andrew Wood by Alice in Chains.
These guys are all good friends.
Agree
Me too !! And Again!!
If you want emotions do Down in a Hole unplugged next. Plus the harmonies with Jerry Cantrell are amazing
I prefer the studio version of Down in a Hole.
I am happy we have both .
Yes yes! Please do unplugged “down in a hole” - you’ll so appreciate it.
My personal favorite is the unplugged version 🤟
Another vote for Unplugged "Down in a Hole" - haunting!
I was there in person. I sat behind Metallica! I knew Layne Staley. And now, in tribute, I have a 15 yr old son.... named Layne 🖤🖤🖤
lucky
💚
sure
@@brandonfreeman6517 “sure” what? Layne was a friend I groupied with in ‘92 on the West coast .. and a wonderful human or id have never named my only son after him. If u have social media i have tons of pics … just sayin… #hatermuch
@@caralayne503 I know. Trust me.
This song always hits you in the soul. Layne was suffering from his drug addiction here. Also lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell was dealing with food poisoning. This is my favorite band so trust me when I say this, please react to "Love, Hate, Love" from their live performance at the Moore. It was early in their career and I promise it is one of the greatest live performances in rock history. You will appreciate Layne's vocals even more. Thanks for another great reaction.
Also Mad Season. They are fantastic and their youtube vids at the Moore are great.
👊🏼
Yes Love Hate Love live at the Moore is a must!! Also Wake Up from Mad Season
Yes please!!!!!
Jerry said he watched Layne shoot up right before coming on stage
This whole show was amazing. One of the best things MTV did was do "Unplugged" with all acoustic. RIP Mikey and Layne
Agreed. This was awesome. Lots of really great Unplugged performances. I miss it!!
YES! Absolutely an amazing performance.
The changes and how Jerry would be lead vocalist, interchangeably, sound similar, when Layne got tired due to how sick he (Layne) was at the time...
Yeah, love the Acoustic Bass...it sounds so great in the mix.
I agree, lots of iconic performances on "Unplugged"
There's an interview that Jerry Cantrell did on Lars Ulrich's radio show or podcast or whatever. They've been friends for a long time so it's more a conversation than an interview. Metallica was present in the audience for this Unplugged show, and the two of them discuss it during this interview. Lars made the point that not every band can do acoustic shows because if you're going to strip away all of the electric gear and distortion and the like, "there had better be a song under there."
I'd say AiC lived up to that.
For sure. I remember a similar conversation amongst some folk after the Nirvana Unplugged as well. People were surprised that Nirvana's songs were actually good and well-written under the distortion, bombast, and screaming. Good bands are good bands and good songs are good songs, no matter what genre you dress them in.
There are deaths that rip your heart out, and deaths you never get over. That's Layne. Rest in Peace, you beautiful man. 💙💙
also Chris Cornell....
@@robertheerbrandt7812 At least with Layne we saw it coming a mile away. Chris was a complete shock to me
No truer words spoken.💯 For me it’s Prince💜, I will *never* get over that one.😞💔
@@africanfartingfrog i believe signs were there but because it wasn't from drugs or substance addiction it was slightly more surprising.
Someone already mentioned Cornell but Chester Bennington too.
Love what you said about mental health. I struggled from my teens and did not get real help until my 30's. Ended up homeless once. I got out of with a lot of help from friends and medical. In my fifties now and doing well. Still struggle at times but life is pretty good.
So those who struggle with mental health. You can do it! You can make it! You can contribute to Life!
Love you all🥰
I may not know you but I’m proud of you! Nameste my friend.
Anthony, I feel for you bro, truly. I have too struggled with my mental health from a young age. I have been in some very dark places and made unsucsessful attempts on my life (happily). I am also in my fifties now and am holding it together. I still go to a dark place on occasion but I have some good people around me which helps.
You are right you can make it, you just have to hold on through the hard times and things will become lighter for you.
At least y'all have good people around you. When I'm in my dark places I got nobody and I been struggling all my life. Folks have either turned there backs on me or told my secrets. Cheers to you all for another day.
Now if you waana cry, listen to “Don’t Follow” Layne’s voice is just 🥺
Definitely gone too soon…
Great call. I don't think the Jar Of Flies EP gets enough love.
@@WeeStrom it’s my favorite those too are amazing
It's Jerry's voice on that song Layne comes in in the middle still a great one though
Layne is one of a kind , this was his last performance I believe. He was losing his fight to addiction & sadly you can see it
RIP Layne Staley 🖤🎵
Wasn’t his last. But an endearing, sad performance nonetheless cos you can see his addiction getting the better of him
@@coreygrange915 Yep. He looks so frail in this video. It's heartbreaking.
Yeah you can tell that he wasnt doing well , but yet there he is performing & sounding great
he almost didn't make it. He'd become such a introvert, he didn't even want to come out of his house much less do this.
Amber you make me want to send you back a virtual hug, because I felt like I just got one from you. I fight every day to stay positive, but it’s not always easy (I’m a disabled veteran). I’ve lost more friends and acquaintances to suicide than I ever lost in the fights or in other accidents. Today’s a rough day, pain-wise, and I almost didn’t watch your video. But you and Jordan made this worth the click and the time. I only wish I could like this more than once!
Layne was so sick during this performance and he still killed it. AIC is one of my all time favorite bands. Layne Staley has such a haunting and unique voice 🖤 I recommend listening to Mad Season. His band with a few other Seattle musicians. Now they were amazing!
Not to mention having no teeth
@@aaronleesgbclieutenant very true
Long Gone Day is my fav Mad Season song. So surprising how few people are aware of that album.
@@ultrasonic6 Agreed. Above is one of my top 5 favorite records. I’m partial to “I Don’t Know Anything” but every song on that album is perfection
So was Jerry, but for a different reason. He had food poisoning.
Layne was such a beautiful soul. His singing released/shared some of his pain, and you both made that connection. Thank you for your wonderful reaction.
Layne, Chris Cornell and Kurt Cobain. Great grunge artists that we lost way too soon. All missed tremendously!
And Scott Weiland
Chester Bennington. Why does everyone always forget about Chester?? Another HUGE loss to the world of music... 🥺😭❤️
@@mamajester8320 Linkin Park isn’t a grunge band like the others
Mark Lanegan.
Shannon Hoon
Anything off the album “Dirt” is awesome. Masterpiece of a rock album
Facts🎯
Real
Amber, you are spot on with him "wailing" for help with his "ooohs". And it pulls at my heart strings every time. (Typing this with tears in my eyes). Thank y'all for covering this beautiful song. 😊🙏💯❤
You should do Would, Junkhead, Rain When I die, Down in a Hole, and any other song from Dirt. Do the studio versions though. Layne's voice is so much better. It works in this song, because he makes you feel what he's feeling.
Down in A hole is amazing
Down in a hole and Rooster is 🔥
Bleeding the Freak!!
Love Hate Love is one of my favs
Unplugged is the best thing MTV ever did. Some truly great performances.
Epic, haunting, and heartfelt. I'm so glad you reacted to this one.
Get chills every time the crowd goes nuts when Layne walks out.....
Me too
I miss him soooo much
I remember watching this when it premiered on MTv. ANC and Pearl Jam will always be the best episodes of Unplugged.
@@hollydeitch1977, Nirvana didn't embarrass themselves.
@@sayrerowan734 Nirvana was good as well, I just wasn’t as huge a fan of Cobain’s voice as Layne and Eddie. And STP was another good one, but still couldn’t touch the other 2. Magic happened for Layne that night as one of his last performances, and as one of Eddie’s first.
@@hollydeitch1977 , Kurt's voice was the whole secret to Nirvana's greatness.
My absolute favorite band!!! I think "Would" is their best song. Both Layne and Jerry Cantrell, the guitarist, work their gorgeous harmonies on that song.
That woman is an empathetic person, for sure. I’m struggling, but her message at the end was so awesome
The entire show is amazing. As someone once said before, "the closest thing to seeing someone sing at their own funeral.". Such a lost. ❤🤘
This was close to the end...the pain in his voice breaks my heart. We miss you Layne. Gods we miss you.
It wasn't really. He died another 6 or so years afterwards . If you wanted to hear his last tunes it would be Died or born again by Alice in vhains. Such a shame as you can notably hear his lisp at that time in his life due to tooth loss and heavy drug use
@@chrisg1772 Yeah he lived another 6 years. People are really I'll informed about Layne. In the early 2000s he would go hang out at the bar down the street, sit in the corner by himself and drink water all night until they had to kick him out at closing
This is not a Performance its an Experience. We are just the lucky ones that get to witness it. Laynes story behind this unplugged set is very very dark and sad. He was high on dope and had very specific intstructions for the lighting, and camera angles. You can Look up all the behind the scenes to this set. Also Metallica’s James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich were in the audience to witness this Genius…. Incredible Band and Singer gone way too early! He became a mere Mortal when He OD! Much love to Everybody and RIP Layne!
You’re so right, Amber and Jay. Some of the greatest genius of our era also sadly overindulged and/or self medicated…some like Layne, Janis, Jimi, Prince, and others…sadly, imploded.
You two appreciate the music decades later, that’s the best tribute to these artists…their music lives on.
Stay sweet!! 💚
Glad ya'll did this one, great song. You should check out "River of Deceit" by Mad Season. It was a one album supergroup that had guys from Alice and Pearl Jam. Layne sang lead on that.
I wish more reaction channels would do mad season.
Amber, you pronounced his name correctly.
The entire MTV unplugged series was awesome.
Try Rooster for your next Alice In Chains song.
Yay! So excited you did some Alice In Chains unplugged. Down in a Hole gets a lot of reactions, but honestly every song in the performance is great. You should also do some of the tracks from their EP Jar of Flies.
Amber, I'm struggling right now and I felt like you were talking directly to me. Thank you. ❤️
My favorite Alice In Chains songs are "Would?" and "No Excuses".
Those are my favorites too!
@@jessicasamuels9767 👍
I second this. Those 2 are probably my favorites also. ♥️♥️
@@SMiles.21 😎
So glad you’re doing more AIC.
Please check out Would and No Excuses.
The beautiful haunting sound of his voice still gives me chills. Absolutely soul crushing, what happened to him. We didn't want him to go. He just couldn't beat it. It was a huge loss. But to see him sing live like this, it seems like he is still here. And to see how he is reaching you, and people of your and other generations even today, gives me a melancholy yet warm feeling. He lives on through the music. Thank you for reacting to this song.
All of the years later and this performance still gets to my core.
Layne Staley, gone and still SORELY missed. I don't think I've heard this song since I last listened to Jar of Flies twenty years ago. "No Excuses" is another great track from that album. "Again", though is among my favorite AIC songs. Thanks for the deep dive!
Bassist Mike Inez said of "Nutshell" when asked what song makes him think of Layne Staley the most:
I think the No. 1 for me is "Nutshell." Layne was very honest with his songwriting. And in "Nutshell," he really put everything in a nutshell for everybody. That song still gets me choked up whenever I play it. I get a little teary-eyed, and sometimes when we're doing the arena runs especially, they'll have some video footage of Layne. And I look and see me and Jerry [Cantrell, vocals and guitar] and Sean [Kinney, drums] looking the wrong way. We're not looking at the audience, we're looking back at Layne, and it's pretty cool that there's still that song for us. Yeah, it's just a sad thing.
The entire Alice In Chains Unplugged DVD is absolutely incredible. Down In a Hole is such an amazing song you need to do that one , the acoustic guitar playing and Jerry and Laynes harmonies in this concert are unreal.
Y’all went straight into his dark side with this one before the others. Regardless, my favorite vocalist, so glad you reacted
As much as I love AIC and Layne, it's still hard for me to watch/listen to the Unplugged session. He was wasting away in front of the world... you can see the pain in his face and hear it in his voice. What's worse, he makes you feel what he felt. I still miss his gift.
P.S. Jerry is dropping a new solo album this week.
I'll have to go check that album out cuz I really like his voice on its own too
@@dark_neverland Boggy Depot and Degradation Trip are AMAZING.
I was fortunate to get to see AIC with Layne before he passed away. They opened for KISS in 1996 and I saw them at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY. It was an incredible performance!
Speaking of Rock voices, don't forget Chris Cornell's incredible voice.
You should really listen to Rooster. It’s about Jerry Cantrell’s dad Jerry is the lead guitarist for Alice In Chains who was raise in Atoka Oklahoma. The song Rooster was a song about his dad who served over in Vietnam in the 60’s. His dad was a bad ass over there.
Beautiful words at the end Amber, well said
The way he just walks up and hits those notes man what talent
Oh, love me some Alice and Chains...Love their vocals so unique and amazing...R.I.P. Layne...Thank you so much, Peace
I’ve heard this described as a man singing at his own funeral!!!
I've been very fortunate to see some of the most astonishing bands that come out of the grunge scene from the Pacific Northwest. I was in High School in the early 1990's living near San Francisco, and had parents who gave me space to evolve into my own person. Example: My best friends and I got into a stranger's van and this dude took us to Seattle so we could see Nirvana... not a smart thing to do in hindsight. I got to see Alice In Chains three times at the height of their popularity. Twice in San Fran, once in Portland. The show in Portland was at a small venue where we got within feet of him, and just watching him, listening to the inflections in his voice, he was hurting bad and we all knew it as we watched. Layne without even trying could bring an entire room to tears or near tears. He was special, he was talented, and he was beloved by so many. RIP Layne
I was lucky enough to see AIC and i can tell you there is nothing more emotional that 25,000 singing "Would" together. It was an amazingly emotional experience that i will remember forever. Layne was able to weave a verbal tapestry of emotion with the range to make any wanna be try hard, never gonna make it singer turned vocal coach jealous with envy...why? because he had it in spades and didnt even have to try. AIC forever... sincerely, - some guy lucky enough to be a teenager in the 90s -
Powerful post.
Everything on this album is a masterpiece. I love aic... rip Layne
Heard someone say,” it’s like hearing someone sing at their funeral”.
Wondered how long it would take for someone to recycle ♻️ that quote.
@@MK-gv7qr what the fuck are you rambling about?
@@jrshelton3398 that quote about someone singing at their own funeral is on every AIC Unplugged reaction I've watched. It's an excellent description I've seen numerous times. That's what I'm "rambling " about.
Everytime I hear this song; at least a tear or 2 rolls down my face...So emotional!
As just a regular person Aaron Lewis ' song "Layne" is the closest personal impact he had on me. I was blessed to grow up in the generation with Layne and have missed his absence for almost 20 years. Let that man take his seat he earned his place at the table. He saved a generation of us we were blessed.
I worked at NAF. My boss was the lead sound guy for Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Also Queensyche - check the out - Silent Lucidity. Anyways, Layne's voice was so powerful that you could hear him as a source of sound during the show, above the stage mix. Mind blowing.
Gotta do Don't follow by them, makes me tear up every time. R.I.P Layne.
I got to meet Layne and the band when they toured with Van Hagar on the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge tour at Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion back in 1991 when I was a Manager for Dominos Pizza, I was waved through the back gate, with 10 Pizzas, and they where all standing around their Bus just hanging out when I dropped the pizzas off to them. I hung out for about a half hour just talking to them, and Layne was so nice, very kind, and so down to earth, they were all very cool. A fond fond memory. RIP Mr. Staley. Respect.
Love your tribute. This song makes me cry every time. Thanks for featuring.
Layne Staley gives a master class on singing in the live performance at the Moore of Love, Hate, Love. The lyrics are dark but it is amazing to watch. Also, the unplugged version of Down in a Hole is beautiful. The harmonies are perfect.
This is the closest anyone has ever came to singing at their own funeral 😢
You guys are the embodiment of love. Your emotional intelligence is beautiful.
Their whole unplugged concert is one of my favorites. Such a great band. RIP, Layne.
This one one of the, if not the last performance by Layne with Alice in chains. He would eventually lock himself in his condo and waste away alone until the drugs took him. Easily one of the best and most potent singers during that era.
Most people don't talk about that the 6 foot Layne was 86 pounds when they found him. 😒 As a recovered drug and alcohol addict myself, I get how difficult it is to pull yourself out once you've hit rock bottom. There are only 3 outcomes for untreated addicts - jail, institutions, and death. I've done them all including almost dying twice. Layne was hell bent on death. Once someone gets to that point, well... I get it, unfortunately.
Grateful for my one day at a time adding up to many years but all it takes is once for me & I know I will die. No question. RIP to Kurt, Layne, Chris, & Scott. Keep going Eddie!
6 years of isolation... I didn't know he had locked himself way like that.
@@jennhurl I'm glad you're here! And thank you for including Scott. Ppl usually exclude him from the "posse" but damn did he have a voice
@@dark_neverland I don't consider it the Big 4 - it's the Big 5. To my ears:
Kurt had rawness
Cornell had range
Vedder has control
Staley had power
Weiland had versatility
I've heard it said that because STP came out of San Diego rather than Seattle they weren't true grunge - they copied it which is why they don't add Scott. Makes no sense. I believe its called "influenced". Haven't all musicians taken from & then created their own? There's a video of Scott singing Plush acoustic on park bench. To deny his voice as a staple of the genre just doesn't hold water with me. 😉
Layne was so talented. How I miss him.
I seldom leave comments but felt it necessary due to the understanding you two display with this song, as well as with other songs, your musical IQ isn't unnoticed and is commended (BRAVO). This songs reaches down deep inside you, you hang on every word sung by Layne, leaves you wanting more, but you know its all he had to give with this one. I agree about the base, especially on this song, it is absolutely........HAUNTING!
The respect, recognition, and appreciation you all have for him is genuine and heartfelt. And to think most people in this world won't come to know or appreciate the genius that is Layne Staley. RIP Layne. Thank you for the gems you have left us with.
Jay, dedicate Steelheart "I'll never let you go" to Amber. Trust me.
Are you crazy? She'll have another baby!
@@jaysone.94 omg haha🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Love Steelheart🥰
@@jaysone.94 lol
What song is called “angel eyes“. I’ve already requested it, but never hurts for some back up.
Guys you have to react to “ would” if you haven’t. The best Alice In Chains song in my opinion
Absolutely love you two! Love how you were moved just after him singing just one note! You absolutely must hear him sing "Love Hate Love ", the live version from The Moor in Seattle. I just subscribed to you and can't wait to watch more!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been requesting for a long time. Knew you would love it.
This is the last performance Layne did before he passed away.
Not the last performance ,that was later on in 1996 in Kansas City I believe but it is still emotional
An amazing rock voice would be Geoff Tate from Queensryche. Try Empire, Jet City Woman and Silent Lucidity, to get you started :)
Even my voice teacher back in the day admired him
My favourite voice! No one like him
Or anything off of Operation:Mindcrime
Definitely
Add Empire to that list
thank you for understanding
Amber, thank you for your talk after the song. It helped me, and I'm sure it helped others. Depression kills.
Would,,,, any version,,,,, his voice, the harmonies, the vocal control, my absolute favorite AIC tune
Check out "Would", and "Rain When I Die". The whole "Dirt" album is great.
"Rooster" is my favorite, great song . that should be on your list.
You guys are such a bright light on this platform. Thanks for sharing this🤗
IMO Alice In Chains was the best band to come out of the grunge era. This was my favorite unplugged too. Try Sea Of Sorrow or Bleed The Freak. If you want to hear Jerry Cantrell on lead vocals try Heaven Beside You.
Rip lane staley
Girl, you touched me and brought tears to my eyes. I have been an Alice In Chains fan for I guess now about 30 years. Your understanding of his turmoil moved me. Thank you
Thank you guys for sharing the unplugged version! I moved to Seattle for work in the 90s. I saw Alice in Chains headline Lollapalooza 91 and were frikin amazing! Then PRIMUS followed to close the show and BLEW THE ROOF OFF! I have always loved all Alice in Chains music yet never followed them or new about the members. Just a couple years ago I watched their Unplugged set and it moved my soul! Songs and CDs of theirs I listened to for years. This set is more than special. Seeing Layne and Jerry harmonize and band mesh is a gift for so many. So please keep sharing this set song by song and know you are sharing that gift. Fun fact: the bass guitar has writing on it you can see...
"friends don't let friends get haircuts" ment to be read by big executives in the front row. A poke at METALLICA who's members had recently cut their long heavymetal hair short for the first time... EVER! James, Lars, Kirk, and Jason where guest in the audience.
Metallica sitting in the front row. As a performer that has to feel great.
First again let’s go
🏆 🥇
Brandon?
alice in chains was one of the biggest grunge bands in the 90s. this video was in 1996. layne stayley was heavily into drugs during this performance, he died a few years later due to an overdose at just a young age
what a singer he could grab your emotions and rip them from your soul a true artist the world will miss him
❤ your commentary. Your souls are shining through. It's beautiful!
Y’all made me cry. Thank you so much. Peace ❤️
One of my all time favorites. Cry every time.
You both get it. The magic of his soul
Love you guys, Layne is my all time FAV! TY so much for the reaction.
❤️ I think most people only ever hear music but to others it is transcendent it gets you somewhere else and from your video I can absolutely see that you guys truly love music.
That whole set on MTV unplugged was a masterpiece I listen to it regularly. Absolutely the most underrated band from the 90s.
A song I would love for you to react to is "if I get high" by nothing but thieves Live recording. The vocalist is utterly incredible. I hope you give it a listen if not a reaction video.
great choice glad to see other people feeling how i felt about them for decades!
I'm soooo...glad that finally sees what I see...genius music and vocals!!!
Glad you recognized 😆
Their whole Unplugged show is a vibe... I listen to it, when I need to level out after a bad day.
Oh I'm so happy that you like and love my favorite band and singer. Alice in chains saved my teenage years and now I am 40 years old and still listen to them. Thank you guy's for great reactions. Love from Iceland
The Unplugged show in 1996 is so heartbreaking to watch because he was deep in his heroin addiction (and yes, I know he was doing other drugs on top of Heroin). His liver was damaged and he knew it. He was just high enough to do the show to deal with the withdrawal symptoms and so he didn't get dope sick. He was such a ghost of himself during Unplugged. (Of course, Jerry had food poisoning) All Jerry saw when he looked over at Layne was his best friend was going to die soon due to the path Layne had chosen for his life. That show was filmed in April 1996, premiered in May 1996. They did four shows with KISS in June-July 1996, after which Layne survived an overdose and became a recluse. After that, it was a 6-year-long slow suicide.
On Unplugged, Scott Olson was the second guitarist. He was there to boost the guitar sound on the stage.
Layne was better Live than the studio version. LOVE HATE LOVE live at the Moore in December 1990 is UNTOUCHABLE PERFECTION performed live by a rock band. Other rock bands should strive to have a live performance that perfect.
Layne Staley's vocal range can run rings around any other grunge singer in my opinion. Layne could sing the phone book and never hit a wrong note. Even at the end of his life, with no teeth and a lisp, his voice, wit and humor were all still there. Layne's voice and vocal range were so powerful he did NOT need auto tune or pro-tools until he lost his teeth and had a lisp around 1998, and even then he still killed the vocals. (He started losing his teeth in 1995 due to grinding)
Barrett Martin (who played with Layne in Mad Season) said that when he stood to the side of the stage, he could hear the sound of Layne's vocal resonance come out of Layne's body LOUDER than it did coming out of the speakers, Layne's voice was that powerful.
I'm in the camp of No Layne/No Chains, because no matter which singer you put up there to sing those songs, it'll only be a cover. Layne had a unique voice you cannot replicate or replace. A lot of those songs were great because Layne pretty much wrung his entire soul out singing them, others were personal to Layne and to have someone else sing those, the songs lose their meaning because the new guy didn't go through the ordeals those songs are inspired by.
William DuVall singing THEM BONES on the 2006 reunion tsunami gig.... William DOES NOT have the power in his voice that Layne had especially for that song. Maynard James Keenan could get remotely close to Layne's vocal range for that song (and many others). And Maynard would have the reverence for Layne's memory, he was friends with Layne, he KNEW Layne, had a history with Layne, and saw what Layne went through from Lollapalooza 93 until Layne became a recluse. Besides, Maynard already had 3 bands going on, why not join a fourth band?
He had tried rehab 13 times, but he could never completely give it up. He tried quitting cold turkey on two of the last attempts at rehab, but neither one worked either. Mad Season is made up of Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, and John Baker Saunders and they all went through rehab. They all got together and dragged Layne out of his condo, got him excited about doing ABOVE album, thinking if he was creative he wouldn't want the drugs, and for the length of time it took to do that, Layne was excited about the project, but it didn't curb his drug habit. Layne wrote the lyrics to the songs he sang on the ABOVE album (minus the John Lennon cover song I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier) and he drew the cover art for the album.
NUTSHELL was about how magazines like FOR EXAMPLE Rolling Stone only reported on Layne's addiction as if that were the only thing that defined the band as well as Layne's depression.
Rolling Stone magazine has some unknown thing to do with the Hall of Fame, and after what Rolling Stone did to Layne and the band in the 1996 The Needle and the Damage Done article ("Oh no, it will be about the music" "Oh yeah, the band's picture will be on the cover" turns out it was only Layne on the cover and the article focused on Layne's addiction -- which Layne DID NOT want to happen -- and everything going wrong internally with the band.) that pissed off AIC management and the entire band to the point they threatened to kick the writer, Jon Weiderhorn's ass over it. I don't see Rolling Stone chomping at the bit to vote AIC into the Hall of Fame. Although if they do finally get in with William as the singer and NOT Layne. I'm going to be pissed.
As far back as late 1992, Rolling Stone has personally had a bone to pick with Layne Staley, even though I can name a dozen bands who wrote about drugs in their lyrics that Rolling Stone never cared to target before or after Layne came along. Layne’s mentioned Rolling Stone hounding him in passing to Riki Rachtman during the New Orleans episode of Headbanger’s Ball in late 1992 when Layne and Mike Starr tour New Orleans and a Voodoo museum with Riki back then.
There were other magazines and "reporters" BEFORE 1996 that hounded Layne over his drug addiction. Rolling Stone wasn't the only rag mag to do it. Spin Magazine and many other tabloid music mags only wanted to focus on Layne's addiction. It's why they stopped doing interviews for the longest time, and after the 1996 Rolling Stone interview, they closed ranks and as far as I know, while Layne was alive they never granted another interview. They DID do Rockline in 1998 (Layne called in while Jerry was promoting his Boggy Depot solo album) and 1999 (when the band was promoting Nothing Safe and the Music Bank box set). But for the most part, they closed ranks around each other.
MTV (and the music industry) has more or less blackballed Layne (and yet, they laud over Kurt Cobain every April 5th, because Kurt was the "face of grunge", meanwhile Layne gets a "by the way"). The Grammys went so far as to invite Jerry, Mike, and Sean to the Grammy show in 2003 and then refused to put Layne's picture up in the memorial of the musicians who died in 2002. (Or they "forgot" to) which pissed Jerry, Mike, and Sean off and they walked out on the show.
Even though the music industry would like to have written him out of history, Layne DID exist. He was on this earth for 34 years. In that time he wrote songs that gave a normal person insight into the mind and journey of an addict. The pain and depression he endured to write the most brutally honest lyrics a musician could write concerning his feelings on his own addiction, his depression, and the tumultuous relationship with his former fiancee Demri. The emotional and physical strength he had to perform those songs live when all he wanted to do was curl away and lose himself in the drug haze I can’t imagine what it was like for him. He was hounded by the press about his addiction. He was ridiculed for his addiction. The music industry blackballed him for his addiction. The Grammys forgot about him when he died. As far as MTV and music rag mags like Rolling Stone were concerned he’s just another addicted singer. They don’t want to acknowledge his contributions to music.
Layne Staley WASN'T just some rock star junkie. HE DESERVED BETTER than what he received from the people around him who he thought mattered. He wrote about drugs, his addiction, what he was feeling and what he was going through with maturity and knowledge well beyond his years. He didn’t deserve to be turned into tabloid cannon fodder by the press.
I remember a show in London on February 26, 1993 where a reporter who was based in London wrote about a concert they did in another part of Europe and got Mike Inez confused with Mike Starr. Layne got on the microphone between them finishing HATE TO FEEL and beginning ANGRY CHAIR and said, "I want to say um, I want to say hello to the guy who wrote the review on the show a few weeks back. You’re in London - an enemy. I want to introduce our bass player, MIKE INEZ, not Mike Starr, you fucking idiot! Fuck that prick! Fuck the press! We’re not playing for the fucking press, all right?”
"Layne was just an incomparable talent. He was like a fucking myna bird. Any accent or sound or voice, he could just immediately repeat it. He just had a gift. And I’d like to think that I have a bit of a gift myself. One of the funniest descriptions I’ve ever heard, and I don’t know that it’s true, but it just sounds fucking great, was we sound like “the satanic Everly Brothers.” Together we were kind of a two-headed monster. It added a lot of depth to the material the way we worked together." -- Jerry Cantrell (Noisey, June 7, 2018)
My Top 20 AIC songs... Love Hate Love (Live at the Moore, December 1990...Layne Staley in his prime and is UNTOUCHABLE PERFECTION performed live by a rock band. All other rock bands should strive to have a live performance this perfect), Man in the Box (Live at Weedsport, NY 1991 - the Layne’s Pissed Version...though the original version may be better to react to, because Weedsport was during Clash of the Titans tour where Slayer fans were giving the band crap and Layne got pissed and changed the lyrics), Bleed the Freak (Live at the Moore, December 1990), It Ain’t Like That (if you need a video use Singles Pro Shot video), Queen of the Rodeo (Live in Dallas, TX 1990), Real Thing (Live ANYWHERE), Them Bones, God Smack (Live at Hollywood Rock, 1993), Grind, Again, No Excuses, Brush Away, Frogs, Sludge Factory (During MTV Unplugged 1996, Layne screwed up the 2nd verse like 8 times, though the show only included one of those times), What the Hell Have I, God Am, Got Me Wrong, Swing On This, Social Parasite, We Die Young
GOOSEBUMPS every time I hear this song
Love this song. So emotional. Great reaction guys.
To me it looked like Amber needed a good hug after this video...Jordan, get to it! Beautiful performance of this tune. Thanks guys.
The live version of Love, Hate, Love is an amazing demonstration of his voice.