Jerry Cantrell is Out For Blood!

Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming

The legendary Jerry Cantrell, lead guitarist of 90s super-grunge band Alice In Chains stopped by the Astro theater over the weekend and gave us a face-melting set of solo hits and some beloved classics.

The night started with an opening set from El Paso rockers Sparta. Back in the 2000s when At The Drive-In disbanded some of the members went on to form the Mars Volta, and some of the others formed the band Sparta. With a shoegaze pos-punk sway Sparta had the crowd engaged and cheering throughout their set. I really dug Sparta's sound. I never got too deep into their catalogue so I'll have to go back and re-visit.

After Sparta the stage was set for the man of the hour. Jerry and his crew came out to thunderous applause. There were tons of Alice In Chains shirts in the crowd so his reputation proceeded him. Jerry broke out "Psychotic Break" from his 2002 album Degradation Trip. The crowd pushed forward to snap that perfect picture and record a clip for TikTok. I can't lie, as soon as the second song "Them Bones" hit I had to snag a clip for a reel myself. This is what the crowd came for. Jerry has a nice body of work but there's no denying the iconic 90s grunge riffs is what the fans were craving. After melting our faces I heard someone behind me exclaim "Oh my heart!". They were in disbelief after the wicked solos they had just witnessed. Jerry went on to bless the Astro with an awesome mix of solo works and classic Alice In Chains tunes. The band left the crowd with one of AIC's biggest hits "Rooster". The place erupted when those all too familiar high pitched vocals of "oooh oooh ooooh" washed over them.

If you get the chance to catch Jerry solo or Alice In Chains it's definitely worth the trip. He's a living legend and I'm so glad I got to capture him and his band!

Thank you to Jerry's management and the Astro for photo access.

Thanks for reading and we'll see you at the next one!