ALICE IN CHAINS · Unplugged | CD

CD in jewel case.

Background information about 'Unplugged'

There are live albums, and then there's Alice In Chains Unplugged — a record so raw, so hauntingly beautiful, it practically redefined what the MTV Unplugged format could be. Recorded at the Majestic Theatre in Brooklyn on April 10, 1996, this was one of Alice In Chains' first shows in over two years, and the weight of that absence hangs over every note like a beautiful fog. Layne Staley, visibly fragile yet utterly magnetic, sits center stage, sunglasses on, delivering vocal performances that cut straight through the bone. The band — Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, and Sean Kinney — play with a restrained intensity that turns grunge anthems into something far more intimate and devastating.

The setlist reads like a greatest hits of the soul's darker corners. \u201cNutshell\u201d opens the show and immediately sets the tone: stripped bare, no distortion to hide behind, just pure emotional wreckage. \u201cDown in a Hole\u201d becomes a gut-punch of harmony between Cantrell and Staley, while \u201cRooster\u201d transforms into a slow-burning epic that feels even more personal in this setting. The band also dusts off deeper cuts like \u201cBrother\u201d and the sprawling, uneasy \u201cFrogs,\u201d plus a previously unreleased gem in \u201cThe Killer Is Me.\u201d The chemistry between these four musicians is undeniable — you can hear it in the spaces between the notes, in the way Cantrell's acoustic guitar wraps around Staley's voice, in how Inez's bass lines breathe underneath it all.

This isn't just an acoustic cash-in; it's a document of a band at a crossroads, turning pain into something transcendent. The warmth of the recording, the crowd reactions, the little imperfections — they all add up to an experience that feels almost uncomfortably intimate. For many, this remains the definitive Alice In Chains release, the one where the songwriting and the emotion are laid completely bare. It's heavy not because of volume, but because of truth.

For fans of:
Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Mad Season, Temple of the Dog, Screaming Trees

Other Versions

BLACK 2LP · Sold out

Track listing

1. Nutshell
2. Brother
3. No Excuses
4. Sludge Factory
5. Down In A Hole
6. Angry Chair
7. Rooster
8. Got Me Wrong
9. Heaven Beside You
10. Would?
11. Frogs
12. Over Now
13. The Killer Is Me

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