Alongside bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, Alice in Chains helped introduce the wider world to the plaid shirts, distorted guitars and fatalistic nihilism of Seattle’s burgeoning grunge-rock underground in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
The band, founded by guitarist Jerry Cantrell and vocalist Layne Staley in 1987, later went on to secure international acclaim and multiplatinum status when grunge achieved mainstream appeal. During its initial run before Staley’s death in 2002, the band received six Grammy nominations (as well as another nomination this year) and four multiplatinum albums, according to Recording Industry of Association of America statistics. After a brief hiatus, the band re-formed in 2005 behind new lead singer William DuVall, who also co-founded and sings for Atlanta-based trio Comes With the Fall.
Wednesday, Alice in Chains will perform at Memorial Auditorium, the middle of a series of top-tier artists taking the stage there that began last week with Heart and will conclude with the May 4 performance by Widespread Panic. The group is touring in support of its 2009 album, “Black Gives Way to Blue,” its first studio album since 1995’s “Alice in Chains.”
Tickets were still available as of press time.
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