I was reading Audriana Gate‘s article about the passing of Layne Staley, and felt I should write a quick post. You can follow Audriana on Twitter as well.
It’s crazy to think that it has already been 10 years since Layne Staley passed away. He was actually found April 19, 2002, but had been dead in his home since April 5. I was fortunate enough to have seen the original lineup many times and hear his amazing voice destroy major venues as well as small ones.
I just wanted to put out my favorite story of seeing Alice in Chains play out of respect…
AIC were opening for Ozzy Osbourne at the Oakland Coliseum, October 8, 1992. The stage was all set up, but there was a couch in front of Sean‘s kit. I thought: That is really odd to be on stage. They usually didn’t have a big stage set up, just the basics back then.
When they started off the set with “Dam that River,” Layne was not onstage. Then, as the crowd went crazy as the song picked up, Layne came out in a leg cast — rolling in a wheel chair! PIMPING! He just used the mic stand to pull himself up, and threw his leg up on the monitor, and just belted that shit out like a legend!
All respect to William DuVall, the new singer of AIC, he is doing a great job with the band. However, seeing them live last year, you definitely miss the sheer power of Layne’s voice. Just a remarkable talent, fallen too soon.
R.I.P. Brother!