Of the many fans and musicians devastated by Layne Staley’s death, his former Alice in Chains bandmate Jerry Cantrell was perhaps most affected upon receiving the news. The pair formed the backbone of the seminal Seattle grunge band in 1987, and it was their dichotomy – the tension of Cantrell’s hardened riffs that plodded along as Staley’s sinister vocals crept behind at a skulking pace – that gave the band its appeal to metalheads and grunge punks alike. Cantrell and Staley remained the group’s creative force until their swan song, 1995’s Alice in Chains.
In the wake of Staley’s death, Cantrell, the most visible Alice in Chains member and the only one to release a solo album, 1998’s Boggy Depot, won’t cancel or postpone any dates of his upcoming tour to support his second solo album, Degradation Trip, whose release date has been moved a week earlier to June 18, according to Roadrunner Records. He’s still set to appear at four gigs – the first of which takes place Thursday (April 25) in Fort Myers, Florida, where he’ll be sharing a stage with Adema – before embarking on a tour with labelmates Nickelback beginning May 13 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
In the days immediately following the discovery of Staley’s body on Friday Cantrell could not personally comment on his loss, according to a spokesperson from his label, and instead issued a collective statement with his former bandmates following a tribute to their fallen friend and frontman at the Seattle Center.
Jerry Cantrell Tour Dates, According To Roadrunner Records:
- 4/25 – Ft. Myers, FL – Ft. Myers Stadium
- 4/26 – Miami, FL – Bicentennial Park
- 4/27 – Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
- 4/28 – Zephyrhills, FL – Festival Park
- 5/13 – Albuquerque, NM – Albuquerque Convention Center
- 5/14 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
- 5/16 – Nampa, ID – Idaho Center Amphitheatre
- 5/17 – Seattle, WA – KeyArena at Seattle Center
- 5/18 – Salem, OR – Salem Armory
- 5/21 – Salt Lake City, UT – X-Scape
- 5/23 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Theatre
- 5/24 – San Diego, CA – 4th & B
- 5/25 – Santa Ana, CA – Galaxy Theatre
- 5/28 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
- 5/29 – Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Palladium
- 5/30 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre
- 6/1 – Dallas, TX – Smirnoff Amphitheatre
- 6/2 – Spring, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
- 6/3 – Austin, TX – The Backyard
- 6/5 – New Orleans, LA – UNO Lakefront Arena
- 6/6 – Memphis, TN – Mid -South Coliseum
- 6/8 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live
- 6/10 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues
- 6/11 – Portsmouth, VA – NTELOS Pavilion at Harbor Center
- 6/12 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Concert Pavilion
- 6/14 – Asbury Park, NJ – Convention Hall
- 6/18 – Lowell, MA – Paul E. Tsongas Arena
- 6/19 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
- 6/21 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Six Flags P.A.C.
- 6/26 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
- 6/28 – Chicago, IL – United Center
- 6/29 – Cleveland, OH – Nautica Stage
- 6/30 – Pittsburgh, PA – Amphitheatre at Station Square
- 7/1 – Barrie, ON – Molson Park
- 7/2 – Saginaw, MI – Heritage Theatre
- 7/4 – Milwaukee, WI – Marcus Amphitheatre
- 7/5 – Maryland Heights, MO – UMB Bank Pavilion
- 7/18 – Billings, MT – Metrapark Arena
- 7/19 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Frontier Days
- 7/20 – Minot, ND – North Dakota State Fair
- 7/21 – Eau Claire, WI – Country Jam USA
