Jerry Cantrell Brings Career-Spanning Firepower to Emo’s
It was a packed house at Emo’s on Saturday. The crowd spanned generations, but there were strong 90s vibes, when heavy alt-rock dominated the musical landscape.
That said, Jerry Cantrell wasn’t here to coast on nostalgia from his work with Alice in Chains. That was just one piece of the musical tapestry he unfurled before his adoring fans.
Sparta, featuring El Paso native Jim Ward (formerly of At the Drive-In), opened with a spirited, hard-edged set. Ward punctuated the performance with an impassioned message about Texas’ GOP-driven redistricting, drawing both cheers, and nods of pained recognition from the audience.
Jerry Cantrell followed to a wave of deafening applause, adorned in shades and brandishing his G&L Rampage guitar he’s been brandishing since Alice In Chains 1990 debut album Facelift. The band then launched into Vilified, the opening cut off his excellent 2024 release I Want Blood.
The balance between his solo material and Alice in Chains classics spoke volumes: his individual output carried just as much weight with the crowd as the songs that made him a household name. And his tasteful, unorthodox guitar work remains a marvel for the ears.
Cantrell’s current band proved essential to the show’s impact. Drummer Roy Mayorga and bassist Eliot Lorango laid down a muscular, precise rhythm section.
Zack Throne handled rhythm guitar and confidently took on Layne Staley’s vocal parts during the Alice material, locking in with Cantrell’s croon, supplying those crucial vocal harmonies that set Alice apart from their Seattle brethren (Ex-Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato was also expected to contribute vocals, but was mysteriously absent).
The result was a set that felt both faithful and forward-looking, with the band seamlessly integrated into Cantrell’s signature sound.
The setlist pulled from Cantrell’s diverse catalog. Boggy Depot’s “Cut You In” and Degradation Trip’s “Psychotic Break” stood alongside selections from 2021’s Brighten and several other I Want Blood additions. Songs such as “Atone,” “Echoes of Laughter,” and “Siren Song” were met with the same intensity as Alice staples, underscoring that Cantrell’s solo career has built its own loyal following.
Cantrell kept the stage banter to a minimum, noting that Austin “feels like home” before launching into a raucous “Man in The Box” that went off like a sonic Molotov cocktail.
Other Alice in Chains material carried undeniable impact. “Them Bones” punched the audience in the ears with its pummeling riff, while the mournful anthem “Would?” had the entire venue singing in unison.
Hardcore fans were also treated to Alice deep cuts “It Ain’t Like That” (my personal favorite) and “Rain When I Die”.
The set closed with “Rooster”, Cantrell’s ode to his Vietnam vet father, the songs’ hypnotic, spectral atmospherics and harrowing lyrics casting a spell upon the crowd.
Cantrell’s Emo’s set demonstrated Cantrell’s ability to honor his past while continuing to expand his body of work. For Austin fans, it was a reminder that his music, be it with Alice in Chains or under his own name, remains uncompromisingly vital.