This honestly isn't Layne's lowest point. A lot of people are saying he didn't have teeth or anything at this point, but he did. They filmed this in April 1996, and it was aired in May 1996. Layne had been separated from his ex fiance Demri for a while now but she suffered another overdose and was in the hospital in October 1996 and ultimately died from inflamation of the heart( very common among heroin addicts). This is when Layne started his downward spiral. The next five and a half years Layne let himself go drastically and yes by the end he was pretty much without teeth which is also common among addicts. I was friends with Mike Starr and subsequently got high with layne quite a few times and knew Demri and her mom Kathleen through friends. I saw Layne at his U-District condo (just north of downtown Seattle, Washington) about 3 months before he was found. He had been dead a couple weeks before he was found. Opioids (prescription and elicit) have been and is currently killing so many right now here in Seattle and every other corner of the states and I'm sure so many other places around the world. I have never brought up the fact that I knew Layne but I had a hard time scrolling through the comments and it seemed like every other comment was on his appearance , primarily his teeth. It's obvious to anyone with eyes he's but a shell of a man physically but how do "fans" find it necessary to comment on? To each his own I guess. If anything I hope somebody thinking about trying pills, heroin, Fentanyl, or any drug for that matter will stop and look around first.and will realize it can take anybody, even a celebrity or musician. Addiction knows no bounds, it don't matter what race you are, man or woman or where you're from and it can sometimes only take one time. And I will tell you first hand it will take everything from you, friends, family your home your car, your health , it will make those closest to you not recognize you physically and morally. Eventually it's either your life or your in prison, I promise you that!. There's no Middle Road, I've been an addict since I was in junior high and I'm 45 and I can't even count the friends and family I have lost to prison or death. So please don't ever try it! Great reaction as always guys! I'm a long time subscriber, and I appreciate you and your Channel!
@@FalseStartpA I can honestly only speculate for I was not there. But he had his go to people that either brought what he needed with them or could score in the town they played. Most H. addicts don't show obvious signs of being "high" and I use that term lightly for you need your daily fix just to bring yourself up to "normal" its only after this point one might feel any sensation of being high or showing signs like nodding off or being incoheriant. That's also why eventually you add some kind of an upper into your dose, some coke, some meth, barbs, etc. I know Layne tried his best not to overdo on nights of a show, but was known to have a few alcoholic beveys before hand, lol. Thanks for commenting.
@@mehlliont Thank you I am still fighting the good fight but as any addict will tell you talking about it helps, and you can only hope someone else too.
@@The1minutetomidnight Being alone isn't a matter of proximity exclusively. Its also about not having any people in your life to bear you up when your life experiences are to heavy to carry alone.
@@trafficking2596 as a former addict I know a bit. Plus on Layne's case Alice in Chains was always a dark band so the probably thought it was part of the show. It wasn't like people were blasting there addictions to the public. Well most anyway, RIP Layne a talented voice taken by addiction
Agreed, was really hoping they were gonna do the studio version. I just think the electric guitar in the original adds something that is missing from the acoustic performance.
Finally!!!! Background: They hadn’t performed for about two and a half years prior to this due to Layne’s addiction. They tried touring for the JOF album, but Layne was too far gone. So, at this point, Layne’s vocals aren’t nearly as good as they were during the studio recording of this...due to both not performing and the drugs. Also, Jerry’s guitar riffs cry out much more potently on the album version with the electric guitar. Given the hiatus...he absolutely crushed this. Sat down and went right into it like a boss. Rumor has it, he pounded a speedball into his veins 15 minutes before walking onstage because he couldn’t go more than 4-5 hours without drugs without becoming ill. He still had all his teeth. His fiancé hadn’t died yet. All of that is bullshit. This was April 1996. His fiancé overdosed in October 1996. He didn’t die until April 2002. His teeth didn’t start falling out until a few years prior to him actually passing. That being said, he was still a shell of his former self here for sure. The reason it’s so powerful, is because it was a prognostication of his death...like he’s prefacing his own funeral. He accepted his fate and realized that the depths he had fallen were too deep to climb out. That, and the fact you can feel his pain through his voice and see his lips quiver and it is visceral. Once Demri, his fiancé, died...they said he gave up and that’s when he became a recluse and spent 6 years playing video games and doing drugs. Didn’t find his body for 2 weeks and he weighed 90lbs when he died from that overdose. Unpopular opinion...the album version is better as far as the vocals and guitar...but this is the version that gives you a glimpse into Layne’s psyche. Also...I’m a hip hop head through and through like you guys...Lyrical, conscious hip hop...and this is my favorite band and has been since I was a kid.
Couldnt agree more man. He sat and sang. When he sings you have a window to look into his soul. How many art pieces provide you with that? Far too few. Shivers ALL the times I listen (and its been a LOT).
Great comment Chad. I agree with everything you said. I hare it when people say he has no teeth here because if you actually watch the videos from here and a few of the shows after this you can clearly see he still has teeth here
@@BradCross1982 He had apparently lost two teeth the day before this show, but still had most of his teeth. You can hear he has somewhat of a lisp here.
Im a recovering addict. 8 yrs clean. This song still brings me to tears. He described my life and many others. Unfortunately he didnt make it out. RIP Layne Staley
I suggested that in another video. I would rather them end the AIC videos on a positive note than to end on this depressing unplugged. Its not an image you want to remember him by
@@aqualung1466 It sucks they said that this "felt final", because Facelift really hasn't gotten it's due. There's a few songs on there I'm sure they'd think are absolute bangers, hope they give this marathon at least one more video.
Yeah, I'm with George. I always recommend the studio version of any song on first listen. This is actually a good performance though, about as close to the recording as you can get. Funny story about the bassist. This came out around the time that Metallica came out with the Load album and they cut their hair had a new look, etc. They happened to be up front for this show. So to have a little bit of fun with them, he wrote Friends Don't Let Friends Get Haircuts on his bass. You can see it in this video and throughout the entire Unplugged performance.
I dont think so. Pausing and discussing/analyzing/giving thoughts is exactly what a reaction video is and should be. Not pausing throughout is just like listening to the original, with nothing new added. Why would anyone watch a reaction video where it is just the original song played and the reactor just sitting there and listening without adding any input
This reaction was historical. First time ever our Lost In Vegas boys didn’t pause the song. When it gets as good as Nutshell you need to hear it all the way through. Congrats gentlemen, you experienced a brilliant song.
Obscure AiC request: "God Am" from the s/t record/Tripod Alternatively: "Bleed the Freak" from Facelift. I don't *think* these are as popular with others as they are awesome to me, but hey!
Those are some great recommendations. Love all three of those. I blast Sea of Sorrow and We Die Young all the time. Now I gotta go listen to Bleed the Freak 🤘🏼
My best friend died from leukemia after 9 hard years. He listened to this one night and posted it on Facebook. Heartbreaking. He went home on hospice and died peacefully last week.
Layne didn't have most of his teeth by the time this performance took place, so sad. Jerry had food poisoning for the show, the band hadn't really been together in months before this...the whole MTV unplugged for Alice In Chains shouldn't have worked, everything was stacked against it and yet I think it's the best Unplugged that MTV ever put out (sorry Nirvana fans, their set was fantastic too). Thanks for the video, guys!
Unplugged is a true masterpiece. The people at the show. The feelings these musicians were experiencing. The end of a family/generation. Absolutely incredible. RIP Layne may god bless you. AIC ✊🏽
@@smkxodnwbwkdns8369 because he was practically dying from all the heroine he was doing. Guy didn't have a tooth left in his head and weighed like 80lbs of course his voice was weak.
@@RoyRagnar well then why not recommend a stronger performance? Why not the studio version of “Nutshell” instead of the far inferior live unplugged version? I don’t understand people putting their morbid fascination over the quality of the music.
@@smkxodnwbwkdns8369 lol you need to get a life.. my comment to this bothered you this much? Sounds like Someone needs to get laid... read my post and tell me where I recommended this? I was referring to the entire album.. This was the last performance they had as a group hense why it was powerful for the men in the band and the fans that loved them. Good luck to you buddy. 🤣
It’s a good final tune for the Layne Staley era, but Jerry Cantrell is a force and the newer AIC stuff is excellent in its own right. It made this old AIC fan listen again...
Finally! I love this song, but I like "Rotten Apple" more and in my opinion is a much more powerful song. also, concerning this performance, Layne was at the height of his addiction to heroin, he had lost most of his teeth and his eyes were pretty fucked up as well hence why he wore sunglasses through out the performance. also Jerry helped Layne in a lot of the choruses because he no longer had the energy to sing some of the songs. Between this and Nirvana's unplugged performance, these are some of THE saddest concerts and also being one of Layne's last shows.
I can barely handle Layne doing this unplugged as I can not think of ANY sadder song. Its a song I have to be hesitant to listen to myself at times because he can push me into a darker place. I miss Layne.
He also had the gloves on because he had so many track marks from shooting up junk. I always found it unsettling how you can actually hear in his voice that he has missing teeth.
Worth saying, to anyone listening to this song and relating, ( i do too), there are places to reach out to and places to find someone to talk to. Don't feel that you're all alone, there are people to talk to, find them.
the whole vibe of Grunge was tragically beautiful poets, speaking the honest truth about the pain we can ALL go through, speaking to the fringes of disillusioned young gen Xers, without sugar-coating the shit life threw at us. & it wiped it's ass on the vile mutterings of shallow hair pig rock of the 80's that was all about decadence & wanking, & the relentless power-mongering of the Reagan admin! it WAS the only other huge, global, anarchist-type shape-shifting genre, since punk rock, & still remains so.
Man, you summed it all up beautifully. I don't think we'll have another music revolution again. I had hopes but I think social media has put a stop to these phases happening. Once upon a time scenes could develop in isolation and build up a cult following. No chance Now!
while I like a lot of hair metal (there was some great musicianship-but simple minded lyrics for sure) you nailed the whole vibe of grunge (fookin' shame this was the term that labelers came up with for such powerful music) and as in ALL facets of life, honesty and transparency should be our guide! Beautifully defined and dug reading your paragraph! Peace.
@@treffbennett6534 yes since you mentioned Im coming out 😄I was a fan of some Hsir Metal as well. Even was front and center MANY of Crew concerts LOL What better choice of expressive music was there for a teenager at that point. Thank god for the birth of "Grunge" (not a fan of the term either). Those bands spoke for all of us without beating around the bush or sugar coating shit
Absolutely agree ecspecially about "grunge"being up there with punk, rock, etc. as a genre! But never would I have been able to express or word it so perfectly as you have. Very SPOT-ON and I felt it was absolutely beautiful!
“Friends don’t let friends get friends haircuts” Directed towards Metallica sitting in the front row after they cut all their hair off. 😂 😭😭. Edit: Not Kirk. Un-Edit: Including Kirk but grew it back kinda my bad.
Hellabaydude yep, and you can see Jerry look at Mike and Mike turn to Metallica to show them his guitar. Then Mike turns back and Jerry bursts out in laughter.
UnEdit, yeah, Kirk got his fro mowed down & edged too. It appears that Kirk let his grow out after the initial clipping, this could lead one to question: Why the hell did he do it in the 1st place then? A Publicity stunt by the band upon releasing a shitty album is my best guess (im talking about Metallica & their Load album/drink coaster, not A.I.C.) Now the Lost In Vegas crew should play Confusion or Sunshine from the Facelift album. Peace
@@jaymzb.1713 Kirk openly admitted that he cut- then shaved the hair, as it was falling out anyway at the time. I remember around March April 1996 when Kerrang magazine interviewed them for the first time in ages. It was the first time the haircuts were seen- and Kirk's hair - short- but was thinning rapidly. Those promo shots are easy to find online, and you can clearly see it. He told the same magazine later on, that he used Rogaine, cos he would have "looked like Michael Stipe" if he didnt!😃 A coupla years later when Garage Inc. is out, and he's back in business sproutin' a full head o'hair, thanks to the rogaine. Load itself has some brilliant songs,- Bleeding Me, Outlaw Torn,for example. Huge, brooding songs with massive shades of Black Sabbath, Corrosion of Conformity, - and theres defo Alice in Chains influences in there too.
Not only that, but James Hetfield (who himself is an addict) made fun of Layne Staley while on stage when AIC wasn't touring due to Layne's addiction. Scumbag
“No Excuses” “Heaven Beside You” “Brother (MTV Unplugged)” highly recommend these if ur doing more especially “Heaven Beside You” if you want to listen to their final studio album with Layne in it
This shouldn't be the end for you with AIC and Layne Staley. You should definitely check out the only album from the superband Mad Season, Above. With members of AIC, Pearl Jam & Screaming Trees. - Wake Up, River of Deceit, Artificial Red, Locomotive, & Long Gone Day are amazing songs! You can dedicate a whole month to a superband with a single album like this one, or Temple of the Dog...
I don't get why nutshell is always recommended on reaction channels, it's a very depressing song, it's just not a good song to react to, I thought this was awkward
Alice in Chains: "It Ain't Like That," "Bleed the Freak," "Junkhead." Also, you guys might wanna check out Mad Seasons "Wake Up," Long Gone Day," and "River of Deceit." It's a side project with Layne and the guys from Pearl Jam.
Layne was super High here but he ended up dying like in the 2000’s. He never hid he had a drug problem. It was like he didn’t want to stop. It’s sad, he was so gifted with a unique voice.
Maybe off-topic. But I have a friend who has fallen into the deepest pit of addiction. I know there's no saving him, constantly mixing huge amount of drugs, paying the mental hospital a visit like every week. The cycle just continues. There is no stopping. He even abuses steroids even if he's not working out etc. Going in and out of different levels of psychosis. For some people, there is no saving and they know it. I manage to hold my head above the water, luckily. Some of us aren't so lucky.
Why so many requests for Nutshell Unplugged? This is a song in a format that really resonates to the AIC fan base. It’s special to us for more reasons than being a great song. Ryan and George don’t have the emotional context so the stand alone unplugged version isn’t the one to have requested, the studio version would have been better. Not saying they can’t like it, but those of us who bleed AIC need to temper expectations. Thanks for the review guys!
Yeah i agree, need to hear the studio version before hearing live versions to have the correct initial appreciation for its origin. Like listening to a cover of a song before the original. I was disappointed they went for the live version when the video started but other than that still a great song.
I was thinking the same thing. After listening to this I immediately went to go listen to “Dont Follow”. You get a good dose of Jerry singing and Layne belts it out in the last verse
Wait! You can’t stop. You haven’t done Junkhead, Bleed the Freak, We Die Young. All of these are right up your alley. For the other requests, Don’t Follow, Heaven Beside You, Angry Chair, No Excuses... these aren’t your style. You’ll like them, but not love them.
I agree with you mostly, but I feel like they’d love the “long powerful riffs” in Angry Chair. The instrumentation and poetic lyrics in that track seem up their alley. Junkhead is definitely a must though.
Ya, it conflicted me to include Angry Chair in the “no” pile. I don’t think they’re ready for it yet. They’re new to AIC. It takes time to understand the brilliance of Angry Chair, Brother, No Excuses, God Am, etc..
I think you need to hear the studio first to get the full impact of that performance. Plus by listening to the studio version first your brain will autocorrect a lot of imperfections in the live performance so that you can better enjoy it.
I just made a comment similar to this prior to seeing yours, and 100% agree. You can absolutely appreciate the beauty of the song coming to it the first time on Unplugged as it's a wonderful performance, but without knowing the original, this won't have the same impact for people like George and Ryan. For most of us in the comments, who were already huge fans at the time, when this dropped it hit like a ton of bricks.
Johnnie Walker...that’s my grandfather’s name. He passed in 1981 at age 81 (born 1900). Was born in Cork county Ireland as George McDonald. Changed his name after immigrating to America as a young boy due to the Irish backlash. Both his parents died when he was a boy and he was raised by an uncle who was an undertaker. He slept amongst the dead bodies because that’s where they had space. Enlisted in WWI as an Army infantry while lying on his records since he was technically underaged. Had no family so re upped with the Navy and served distinguishly. Picked the name Johnnie Walker and always signed his name with the suffix “black label” as that was his go to drink of choice.
1:57. Since you did this live, balance it out with *Real Thing from the Moore* 1990 or any song from that show. Layne was healthy, pre-addiction. The band was hungry. It’s the tour BEFORE Dirt. (This unplugged was ‘96 - the end of the band). Quite frankly, a lot of AIC fans are almost too infatuated with the heroin addiction and Layne’s descent. Let’s remember the good times, not just the original singer’s demise. For the sake of the band’s history.
They had a lot of great shows up until the end of 93 but the Moore one was so great because it was professionally recorded, not much of their early stuff was. Hollywood 91 and Glasgow 93 are two of my personal favorite shows
@@illtoxic6 Agreed. Maybe not as vocally perfect, or pitch perfect, but has 10 fold more emotion, pain and depth than the studio version. Ultimately what the song is about
When I saw them in early 1990s Layne was so sweet. A tender heart. But boy he could sing and bring such emotion. Loved them! RIP Layne. We can still hear you in Seattle from our wonderful memories. 💞✌
One after the other, in ^that^ order. For the longest time, it sounded to me like they were originally created to follow each other on an album. I know better now, but maybe the pattern recognition part of my brain is putting things together on its own again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Always been a big fan of AIC , many years long . Recently though, Sunshine , i found myself playing on repeat . I analyzed the song for me personally and realized, this song represents my being a single mother to two children. - it’s resonates hard . - even after many years of listening, and being blessed to attend concerts, this band still amazes me , in my personal life . Thank you . Rip Layne & Mike .
Junkhead really hits you alot more powerfully if you were an actual junkhead. Not recommending becoming a heroin addict, just sharing my experience. Lol, just wanted to make that clear for the people riding the short bus.
Tears every damn time. It’s such a beautiful, song that also rips your heart right out. His performance - says it all. The entire set is captivating-they are all SO GOOD. Must give props to each of them. But Layne, doesnt put forth much effort and still manages to turn out the best unplugged show ever……this is talent, this is a gift, this is heartbreaking.
It shows Layne in the depth of his sickness. Watch the behind the scenes of this show. He kept nodding off and was on heroin throughout the whole performance. It is important to see this and ask why nobody tried harder to save him and how can we do things differently as bands in 2020.
@@countbang1305 While I understand what you are saying...Layne nodding off and being on heroin doesnt make this a "better" performance. It makes it bittersweet, if anything. IMO, if someone is reacting to a song they have never heard, start with the album version, period. Then seek out live performances.
There’s so much more! Keep it going, it’s a marathon right???? Everyone has a good cry to this song, then we throw on It Ain’t Like That, Angry Chair, Got Me Wrong....and all is good.
Cool little side note: Mike Inez’s bass has the phrase “Friends don’t let friends get haircuts”. Some members of Metallica were in the audience. Around the time “Load” came out and they had cut their hair short.
I haven’t really seen anybody suggest some of their newer songs with William DuVall, so here goes All Secrets Known Your Decision A Looking In View Stone
I always think how Neil Peart wrote about one must put up barriers to keep oneself intact. Whereas Layne, Chester, Chris were all heart wide open, no barriers to protect themselves. Its so damn sad. RIP Layne ❤
@@danieldavidmccabe The Unglugged version is good and is a snapshot of his struggles, but the album version actually sounds amazing and superior. The acoustic guitar on the album sounds phenomenal and the electric guitar soloing at the end adds a lot more to the song.
C'mon guys. Don't be afraid of confronting addiction and the aftermath. Layne is wasted in this video. Don't gloss it over. It takes nothing away from how good he was. I'm not advocating, far from it, but please don't ignore it.
