Unplugged [DVD] [2002]

Tidy

Just to hear a great band

simply superb

Layne Staley. Nothing else

Nirvana's 1994 Unplugged CD was certainly ground-breaking, and has many similarities with Alice In Chains' 1996 effort. Both Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley were heavily dependent on heroin at the times of recording yet both managed to not only perform to an incredible level, but also manage to bring subtlety and melody to a genre previously decried as post-punk garage music.Where I think Alice In Chains' Unplugged set offers more than Nirvana's undoubted classic is down to the music itself, AIC capturing the dark beauty of the Seattle scene, Layne Staley's vocals particularly haunting given his state of health, and barely out of tune despite the fact that the band hadn't played a gig for nearly two-and-a-half years. All thirteen tracks are original works (where half the Nirvana equivalent are covers of one sort or another) and, while "the concentrated catharsis in Alice in Chains' music is still best heard with the amps cranked up to eleven" according to Sandy Masuo of The Rolling Stone Magazine, I think that this really captures the talent of AIC as a group and will appeal to anyone who loved the music coming out of Seattle at that time, particularly and obviously AIC fans.If you've got a lot of Nirvana, Pearl Jam or Soundgarden music, you will love this, whether you've got all of AIC's studio albums or never heard of them before today.

I just brought this DVD a few days ago and I have to say this is a truly great memorable live performance buy one of my favourite bands.Layne Staley's looking a bit frail and unwell when he first comes on stage and when the band are playing the first few tracks. But his voice improves and he settles well into the rest of the live performance. The standout performances are mainly the acoustic or more slower and melodic tracks like "Rooster", "Down in a hole" and "Heaven beside you". Although the performance of "Would" is great too.After the unplugged performance in 1996 Alice in Chains would only perform live once more opening for KISS on their reunion tour. Layne in this last days had become a reclusive, withered, tragic figure, even as his band's sound was being ripped off by crap bands like Puddle of Mudd and Nickelback, bands who can never be compared to Alice in Chains.I really recommend anyone who is a Alice in Chains fan old or new to buy this live DVD. This is truly one of the better music DVD's to be released.

I have the CD copy and have listened to it so many times its almost worn out, but never realized that there was a DVD of the show too.It really shows how great Alice in Chains are and especially how great a frontman Layne Staley was. Definitely on par with the Unplugged shows of Pearl Jam and Nirvana IMO.If you like Alice in Chains, do yourself a favor and buy this DVD!! You will not regret it!!

Best unplugged iv ever seen.Best band in the world. That was made when i was ten yrs old. Atleast i can still enjoy them now.