Live Reviews : Alice in Chains, Down and Walking Papers @ Palace Theatre, Melbourne 27/02/2014

Soundwave season is all over for another year and has once again spawned many fond memories for guitar-fiends across the country, and this mega sidewave featuring Alice In Chains, Down and Walking Papers was surely no exception to the rule. Diehards queued outside the sold-out Palace Theatre well before the doors opened – and when they did the usual chaos erupted as fans bustled to get prime viewing spots on the barricade, and against the railings of the tiered Theatre balconies.

“You’ve got Down, you’ve got Alice in Chains, but unfortunately you’re gonna have to sit through thirty minutes of Walking Papers first” was our introduction to the opening act. Aside from the odd “is that fucking Duff McKagan playing bass?” from select audience members, there wasn’t a lot of evidence to show that the crowd had any idea who the Seattle supergroup were. That said, when a band performs to a level of conviction that these guys do, there’s no trouble winning over the audience – regardless of whether or not there’s a genre match with the headliners. The gritty blues grooves of “You’re Secret’s Safe With Me” and “Capital T” were set highlights, along with a piano-driven ballad called “Red and White” which saw frontman Jeff Angell take to the floor, dancing with and hi-fiving the audience to well-deserved applause. Undoubtedly more than a few audience members will be seeking out Walking Papers’ music, and it’s likely that next time the band visit us there will be people singing along.

Walking Papers and Down were happy to share a bit of backline, so a lightning-quick changeover barely allowed a beer before it was Down’s turn to rock stage. It’s no secret that Philip H. Anselmo’s voicebox is almost a shadow of what it once was (which he was willing to admit on stage), and throughout his performance with Down some screams failed to materialise at all – but what he lacked in vocal power he made up for with enthusiasm and it’s hard to take much away from the performance, which was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Following the band’s choice opener “Lysergik Funeral Procession”, the set was mostly made up from Down’s 1995 debut Nola, with a standout performance of “Lifer” really kicking things into gear. The track was preceded by a passionate dedication to fallen metallers Mike Scaccia (Ministry), Jeff Hanneman (Slayer) and of course, Dimebag Darrell (Pantera), which got punters riled up to unleash moshpit chaos from bar one of the seminal track. Somebody threw a “Bury Me In Smoke” flag onto the stage, which Anselmo draped around himself for an epic rendition of the setlist closer which saw Duff Mckagan and Chuck Billy from Testament together with members of Living Colour and god knows who else take the stage and relieve Down of their instruments for a crazy extended jam.

Five long years have passed since Alice In Chains’ last Aussie tour (Soundwave ’09), which has seen two big things happen. Firstly, the band released an insanely good album last year in “The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here” which is packed with some of Jerry Cantrell’s best riffage to date. Secondly, it has seen William DuVall move on from his place the late Layne Staley’s replacement, and transform into the new frontman of Alice In Chains – superb in his own right and a joy to witness perform. “Them Bones” had the theatre shaking from the first crushing riff as hundreds of voices were added to DuVall’s throughout the Dirt classic. Jerry Cantrell’s tone is spot on and the mix is phenomenal – the Palace’s acoustics perfectly suited to the band. Following an earthshaking rendition of “Dam That River”, we were treated with “A Little Bitter”, the first (and only) real wildcard in what was largely a greatest hits set.

“Man In The Box” was exceptionally potent, with the audience echoing the familiar wah-wah intro. Black Gives Way To Blue’s uber-catchy single “Check My Grain” marked a move into DuVall-era territory, with the follow up of “Hollow” causing moshpit mayhem with the monster intro. Donning an acoustic guitar, DuVall faced Cantrell and the two combined to take us back to Jar of Flies with a stunning performance of “Nutshell”, complete with Phil Anselmo saluting and air-guitaring from the back of the stage. The stoner riff wizardry of “Stone” had heads banging hard throughout what was one of the nights many highlights – it’s really cool to see fans getting right into new tracks from a band that’s been kicking it for as long as these guys. The set was seen out by a barrage of hits in the form of “Rooster”, “Got Me Wrong”, “Again” and of course, “Would”, culminating in hundreds of guitar picks being thrown into the audience – souvenirs for all those going hard up front. There is zero doubt that the fans got what they wanted from Alice In Chains at this extra-special sidewave, here’s hoping that we don’t have to wait another five years to see them in Australia again.

Related Posts

• 

  Markus Saastamoinen – Puzzle Pieces
• 

  AC/DC – Power Up
• 

  Psycroptic release details of upcoming EP “The Watcher Of All”.
• 

  Eternum – Alone But For The Breath Of Beasts