There’s no question that some of the greatest rock voices of all time came out of the Seattle grunge scene. In particular, there’s one Seattle vocal duo that’s guaranteed to touch your soul every time they perform, and that’s Alice in Chains’ frontman Layne Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. The pair’s finest hour came when the band performed “Down in a Hole” on MTV Unplugged. The sound of their voices coming together on the melancholy classic is just indescribable.
Alice in Chains were really cookin’ up something special that night, as all of the band’s most popular live performances on YouTube come from MTV Unplugged. Something about the dark beauty of “Down in a Hole” really connected with fans, as that performance is the most popular of all, having racked up 86 million views. Any ‘90s kids in The Music Man readership def don’t want to miss this one, as it really is an incredible performance.
“Down in a Hole” is a natural fit for MTV Unplugged, as the original studio recording begins with an acoustic guitar part. Rather than moving into a big rock arrangement like the original recording, on MTV Unplugged the band performs the song with a dual acoustic guitar arrangement. Bassist Mike Inez really shines every time the band does acoustic sets, and the Unplugged performance is no exception, with his melodic playing being the perfect counterpoint to the vocal melody.
The second most popular live performance on the Alice in Chains YouTube channel is “Nutshell,” performed at the same concert. Inez again provides a gorgeous melodic bass part for the song, while Staley’s aching voice is just perfection. It’s interesting that “Nutshell” became so popular, as it’s a deep cut from the band’s Jar of Flies EP and was never released as a single.
Alice in Chains performed at MTV Unplugged on April 10, 1996, and the performance would be released as a live album titled Unplugged in July of the same year. As Staley’s health was declining by this point in the band’s career, the show was the band’s first performance in two and a half years. The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that Alice in Chains would perform three more shows in 1996 supporting Kiss. During the tour, Staley would make his final live performance with Alice in Chains on July 3, 1996, in Kansas City, Missouri. Aside from the incredible setlist and performances captured on the MTV Unplugged performance, the concert is also notable for capturing the lightning in the bottle that the band had during their legendary original run with Staley as frontman.