Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Tuesday February 25, 2014 :
A slight mistime means I only get to see the last song of Walking Papers, which is a shame because the three piece featuring Duff McKagen ply a very decent muscular, melodic sound on the one song I hear. Crowd praise is loud and universally positive.
From the outset, Down sound absolutely huge, the Enmore providing all the heft and bottom end their catalogues deep grooves demand. Singer Phil Anselmo is in scintillating form, his vocals stronger than ever and his stage presence a much more measured dose of aggression than his younger days with Pantera. ‘Lifer’, ‘Lysergic Funeral Procession’ and ‘Witchtrippper’ are all pummelling in their intensity. Closing with the epic riffing of ‘Bury Me In Smoke’, Down picked up a bunch of new converts tonight with a flawless performance.
Let me say right from the outset that William DuVall is the best singer that Alice in Chains has ever had. I don’t mean he sings better than Layne Staley, I mean he allows Alice to actively tour the world and bring shows as good as this to audiences as adoring as this, and this band thrives on stage. The set list is solid gold, every song a stone cold classic from the Alice catalogue. Opening with the double punch of ‘Them Bones’ and ‘Dam That River’ the sound is rich and full and the band energetic. The joy on guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s face is evident throughout, and his solos are as massive and tight as they have ever been, riffs dripping from his dextrous fingers. Newer tracks like ‘Check My Brain’ and ‘Hollow’ sit comfortably in a set drawn heavily from the Staley years, DuVall untouchable with his soaring vocals and dynamic presence. One of the greatest concert experiences I have ever had, an unqualified success of heavy rock and roll.
Reviewer: Roger Killjoy
Photographer: Lilen Pautasso
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Kind of disappointed I didn’t catch this show, sounds like a great combination. AIC have been surprisingly effective in their second career phase.