Venue: Fort Canning Park, Singapore
Date: 6th March 2014
Promoter: LAMC Productions
Review by: Nate Eileen Tjoeng
Special Thanks: Hazel, Andre, and the LAMC Productions team
Photos by Kenneth Lee: Alter Bridge | Alice In Chains
Despite only having two bands for the night, the field was as packed as the previous day.
Cleaners must have worked till wee hours in the morning to clear the sea of plastic cups and trash that were left the night before. Immaculate and ready for fans to stampede on, the field bore eager fans for round two – juggernauts Alter Bridge and Alice in Chains.
Alter Bridge
Contrary to the previous night, the stage was simple and bare, with just equipment and no backdrop. When Alter Bridge came on, they also looked underdressed compared to the glam rockers of the previous night, as they were dressed in just tee shirts and jeans.
That could only mean one thing. Everyone should plaster their eyes on the band and the band only.
Three microphones were strategically placed on stage for Miles Kennedy to switch amongst while he sings, so that he did not have to stay in one spot the whole time.
Even though Kennedy has been to Singapore twice with Slash, this was the first night he came as Alter Bridge. The ex-Creed musicians gelled with Kennedy so well that the crowd could easily forget that each member has a separate identity elsewhere. There were many picture perfect moments as the band members liked to stand in a row with the drummer at the back, reminding the audience that they are Alter Bridge.
Kennedy appeared to have had lots of fun. He complimented the crowd on being the best of his current tour, and rewarded them periodically with his guitar picks. It is no wonder why Slash chose him to front his songs, as he belts out “Ghosts of Days Gone By” and “Cry of Achilles”.
During “Blackbird”, heavy yet melodic sounds filled the air and hit the high notes, but the harsh metal riffs slammed back into the atmosphere for “Farther than the Sun”.
Alter Bridge performed a long set that lasted more than an hour, making sure they did their popular hits “Isolation” and “Rise Today” before they cleared the stage.
Alice In Chains
Simplicity seems to be paramount for Alice in Chains as well, as there was no fancy backdrop or clothing, but one thing stood out and that was the letters on the kick drum.
True fans would know that the initials LSMS are there in memory of their deceased members Layne Staley and Mike Starr.
Since William DuVall, the lead singer, has replaced Staley for more than a decade in Alice in Chain’s career, fans still anticipated the band’s first show in Singapore. Even though DuVall is already is his forties, his youthful demeanour was striking. Perhaps it was also his afro and his skinny build, he was running cross the stage like a playground.
The harmonic vocals kept the signature sound of Alice in Chains real as DuVall worked with Jerry Cantrell, original guitarist on many songs. During “Hollow”, both voices resonated in the air like transporting everyone’s ears into a vacuum.
The band delivered many Alice in Chains’ best songs such as “No Excuses”, “Down in a Hole”, and “Check My Brain” but the crowd might have been disappointed to not have heard “Man in the Box”, which is acclaimed to be their most popular song.
Overlooking the nitpicking, Alice in Chains was still well received for fans who have waited many decades for the band to finally perform live in Singapore.