Alice in Chains at USANA

I really love Alice in Chains (I listened to their album Dirt just about every time I got in my car for at least a year) and I have always wanted to see them in concert.  I finally had the chance to see them, in a triple bill with Bush and Breaking Benjamin, at USANA Amphitheatre last night and it was the perfect end of summer concert!  It was a lot of fun because everyone around me was there to see a different band (I think it is really funny that so many people around me initiated conversations with me for some reason) but cheered for all of them.  I was, of course, there for Alice in Chains but I enjoyed the other sets, as well.  I also used to be a big fan of Bush back in the day and I was happy to hear "Machinehead," "Everything Zen," "Glycerine," and "Comedown" which were favorites of mine.  They also played "Flowers On a Grave," a song from their latest album which I was not familiar with but really liked, while Gavin Rossdale ran through the crowd.  I didn't know very many Breaking Benjamin songs (the girls next to me were huge fans) but I really liked "Sooner or Later," "Breath," "Give Me a Sign," "Until the End," and "I Will Not Bow."  They also performed an amazing cover of Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever" which I loved (and the girls next to me had never heard before).  Alice in Chains took the stage at about 9:30 and they played all of my favorites including "Them Bones," "Dam That River," "Angry Chair," "Man in the Box," "No Excuses," "Down in a Hole" (my very favorite AIC song), and "Would?"  I had wondered how the band would sound with William DuVall on lead vocals after the tragic death of Layne Staley but these songs sounded amazing!  DuVall sounds a lot like Staley but has his own distinct style and I think he is a great fit with the band.  They did play several songs from their last three albums with DuVall, but I have to admit that I loved the hits and sang every word (I amused the girls next to me to no end).  A really touching moment came when the band dedicated "Nutshell" to Staley because the audience lit up their phones and it looked so cool.  I was hoping that they would play "Rooster," another favorite of mine, and, luckily enough, they ended their set with it!  This was such a great concert and I am so glad that I got to cross Alice in Chains off my list of bands that I want to see (Pearl Jam is still at the top).

Note:  I think that USANA Amphitheatre is a great venue for concerts but it can be extremely difficult to get out of the parking lot after the show (unless you are my brother-in-law).  This time I decided to get VIP parking which is a bit expensive but worth every penny because I was out of the parking lot in less than ten minutes!