Alice in Chains steals the show at 'Bone Bash'

For the 7,000-plus fans inside the AT&T Center on Thursday night who may have doubted whether Alice in Chains could carry on with a new singer, and its first studio album since 1993, the confirmation came from the initial notes of opening song "Again."

But just for good measure, the seal of approval during the Kiss 99.5-FM "Bone Bash" occurred down in the trenches of the general admission area when bodysurfers flew by during "Nutshell."

That's right. The mostly acoustic, soothing "Nutshell."

While there will only be one Layne Staley, Alice in Chains demonstrated its return was long overdue with a stellar performance from guitarist/singer Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and new singer William DuVall. And as unfair as it may be to say, DuVall does show traces of Staley's voice even if he bears more of a resemblance to Lenny Kravitz.

Alice in Chains tore through classic numbers "It Ain't Like That," "God Am," "No Excuses," "Them Bones," "Dam That River" and "Angry Chair" as if they hadn't been in hibernation since Staley's death from a drug overdose in 2002. They also mixed in new songs from Black Gives Way to Blue such as "Check My Brain," "Acid Bubble," and "A Looking in View."

The band deserves credit for placing most popular song "Man in the Box" toward the end of the regular portion of its set, saving the encores for new song "Your Decision" and classics "Would?" and "Rooster."

Songs that may have been missed by some included "Down in a Hole," "Love Hate Love," and "Heaven Beside You." But with Cantrell mentioning that he wrote 1992 hit "Rooster" for his father -- and that his father happened to be backstage Thursday -- then dedicating the song to all of the Armed Forces, "especially those who don't come back," well, it was hard to argue with any of AIC's performance.

The general admission area fans even chanted for Cantrell on several occasions as if they were at a Jerry Springer show. Kinney punctuated the triumphant performance by telling the crowd, "No one rocks a half-filled arena like you MFers!"

The AT&T Center was stripped down to a theater-type setting for the "Bone Bash," and the lineup prior to Alice in Chains didn't disappoint.

Earshot opened the night with four songs, including "Wait," new single "The Ugly Truth," which the band has made available for a free download, and its most popular song "Get Away," from its debut release Letting Go.

Tantric took the stage next and rocked out with its classic hit "Breakdown" among its seven or eight songs. Lead singer Hugo Ferreira was proud to announce the band's hometown of Louisville, Ky., on more than one occasion, but he also declared that "San Antonio is a second home."

Halestorm followed its Aug. 21 performance at Austin Music Hall with a satisfying set that featured rhythm guitarist and lead singer Lzzy Hale's serious vocal chops on "It's Not You," "Dirty Work," "Bet U Wish U Had Me Back," and their top-five single "I Get Off." Halestorm also did its traditional group drum jam that had the crowd appreciating a slightly atypical display of showmanship from an opening act.

Puddle of Mudd, making its first San Antonio appearance since the 2008 NCAA Final Four block party, performed classics "Away From Me," "Control," "Blurry," "Drift and Die," and "She Hates Me." Singer Wes Scantlin -- who bears an uncanny resemblance to WWE wrestler Adam "Edge" Copeland -- introduced new single "Spaceship" by saying he was "getting sick of playing this old s---." He must have meant it, because the band broke into impromptu jams of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," "Summer Nights" from the Grease soundtrack, and the Steve Miller Band's "Space Cowboy" in the middle of three of their songs. The latter got to be a bit much for a couple of teenage males next to me near the pit who simply shook their head in displeasure.

Illinois natives Chevelle, who have always had a strong following in San Antonio, got the mosh pits going on their second song, "Comfortable Liar." The trio of brothers Pete Loefller (vocals/guitar) and drummer Sam Loeffler and their brother-in-law on bass, Dean Bernardini, also rocked out to crowd pleasers "Another Know It All," "The Clincher," "Send the Pain Below," "I Get It," and new single "Jars." Pete Loeffler managed to avoid flying debris from an unruly fan in the middle of one song, telling the perpetrator, "I saw you."

Whether the "Bone Bash" becomes an annual event remains to be seen. But Kiss 99.5-FM, and San Antonio metal fans, couldn't have asked for a much better first time.

You always remember your first time, right?

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