Alice in Chains — Hollywood Rock Festival, Rio de Janeiro, 1993

Live footage captured on 22 January 1993 at the Hollywood Rock Festival, held at the Praça da Apoteose in Rio de Janeiro, this full concert shows Alice in Chains at a pivotal moment. Frequently mislabelled as Rock in Rio, the date is historically significant: it marks the final live appearance of original bassist Mike Starr alongside Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney. The Seattle band was touring Dirt, a cornerstone of early-1990s grunge and alternative metal. The setlist leans heavily on that record’s dark, sludgy material, from Them Bones, Would? and Junkhead to Angry Chair, joined here by Dam That River, Love, Hate, Love, God Smack and Hate to Feel. Staley’s ravaged vocals, his signature harmonies with Cantrell and the band’s thick, downtuned riffs define the quartet’s sound. The show opens with Dam That River and We Die Young before closing on Man in the Box, the anthem that broke the group internationally. For longtime fans and newcomers alike, this live document is essential viewing, catching Alice in Chains at a creative peak within a rare and well-preserved historical context.