They have replaced Layne Staley with a guy who sounds a LOT like him. I was skeptical, but I had heard good things.

Let me tell you – they were AWESOME. They put on a really great show. First off, the new lead singer can play guitar – and well – and he really had a great style of his own. He did Layne proud without looking or sounding like a rip off.

The setlist was incredible, the only thing I could’ve asked for was “I Stay Away,” which was semi-curiously omitted. All my favorites where there though: Got Me Wrong, Nutshell, Down in a Hole, Bleed the Freak, Junkhead, Would?, Brother, Angry Chair, even Whale & Wasp, for crying out loud. The middle section was a small acoustic set with a carpet and lamps, all set up while they played a short Layne Staley movie tribute.

The most incredible thing was that even though the concert crowd was nearly all older people, there were FOUR fights in our section during the show – one right in front of us when a woman wouldn’t sit down, which culminated in her throwing a drink and getting a drink thown on her.

Overall rating: A