Alice in Chains, Berlin
Posted on 31st Aug 09 by Martin O Mahoney | 
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The Berlin experience began on the Friday morning at around 7am on a bumpy landing with a certain cheap airline. As much as I truly love Ireland, going away really makes me wish we could do things a little better. It’s the small things. Like effective public transport from an airport. Things are immediately easy [...]
The Berlin experience began on the Friday morning at around 7am on a bumpy landing with a certain cheap airline. As much as I truly love Ireland, going away really makes me wish we could do things a little better. It’s the small things. Like effective public transport from an airport. Things are immediately easy in Berlin. By Saturday evening Berlin had shown us a pretty amazing time and many lost hours. It was pure miracle that our party still had energy to go to the gig.
William DuVall & Jerry Cantrall live in Berlin
The architecture of Berlin brought us from west to east, or possibly north to south, I have no idea, I was more excited than a…ah who cares how excited I was. In Irish terms, the club was about the size of The Button Factory (800 capacity). It had a cool three stepped floor so that people far back were at the same level or higher than the stage. Sort of like The Ambassador, just a more pronounced rise. I noticed that Steve Earle is playing there in a few months and am already planning my return trip. A great little venue. Beers and other stimulants are pretty cheap compared to Dublin.
For me personally it was pretty amazing to be about to see Alice in Chains play a club show at this stage of their career. I don’t read many online discussions anymore so I have no idea what most fans think of William DuVall. My own circle of friends are positive that he’s doing a great job.
Jerry Cantrell’s guitar playing makes me want to sell my guitars and never attempt to play Them Bones or Dam that River again
I had seen them supporting Metallica in Marlay Park the previous week and it was a savage show, I had no doubts that this guy was part of a group making great new music that is fun to listen to, and playing old tunes that still make fantastic for listening to and still manages to draws me in every time.
The show opens up with Rain When I Die, the noise of chaotic feedback and wah wah on Jerry Cantrell‘s guitar serving as a great intro. By the time the song breaks into the first riff the whole crowd are singing along with the guitar line…we have lift off!
Straight into Angry Chair, then Man in a Box, only two songs in and it looks like we’re going to get a savage performances from every band member. Nothing is held back by either crowd or band as the band tears into the next song. We edge our way towards the front of the crowd to get some close ups of Junkhead being performed.
It is amazing that three of these guys have been going since the late eighties, the energy levels are incredible. It is great to see anyone doing what makes them that happy for this long. I look around a few times and just see smiling faces and hear roars of support.
SomehowDuVall‘s performance balances respect for the former singer with a fresh angle on the songs that makes them his own
The band have a bit of a sad history with the demise of the much loved Layne Staley. It is a credit to the three members from the early days that they have persevered with doing the old material with a new singer. Somehow DuVall‘s performance balances respect for the former singer with a fresh angle on the songs that makes them his own. A great example is the brilliant pouring of emotion into Love Hate Love and Nutshell.
Jerry Cantrell‘s guitar playing makes me want to sell my guitars and never attempt to play Them Bones or Dam that River again. We are treated to a brilliant performance of the new single A Looking in View and another new one Acid Bubble which had been first heard at the Dublin show the week before. Really brave to bring out a new song that runs at about 7 minutes. Both times I’ve seen it played live it didn’t feel anthing like 7 minutes. There are few bands that can pull that particular heavy rock stunt. The crowd get into and it gets a well deserved positive reaction.
It’s a great performance (as was the shorter Dublin show). One of those nights I don’t ever want to forget but if I go back to Berlin I might just kill enough brain cells that I will forget my own middle name. I even caught a plec from bassist Mike Inez.
After the show we hang around outside the venue finishing our beers. I was hoping that my tinnitus would pass soon (damn you white noise from years of loud gigs! If you suffer then try this). We chatted with some other people who had travelled long distances to witness this big little gig.
Then all of a sudden a bit of a commotion from the side of the venue. One of the lads assumed it was a row, however, it was some of the band coming out to chat to the 50-100 or so fans who were hanging around. Handshakes, autographs, photo’s and the like. I get chatting (very briefly, it’s not like we’re friends now or anything) to drummer Sean Kinney and ask what’s the story with no headline Dublin shows. He seems genuinely interested in going back to visit Dublin, so here’s hoping that they will get to come over for a show or two.
We eventually head back to the centre of Berlin pleasantly shell-shocked. Great weekend. Can’t wait to see both Berlin and Alice in Chains again. Lots and lots of fun.
Tags: alice in chains, jerry cantrell, layne staley, metallica, Mike Iniz, sean kinney, Steve Earl, the ambassador, the button factory, william duvall