10 Biggest Hard Rock & Metal Gigs Of All Time

For as much alternative rock that the Seattle scene unleashed in its heyday, it was a miracle something as heavy as Alice in Chains actually cut through the pack. With their brand of demented riffs and beautiful vocal harmonies, their eclectic weirdness made them absolute darlings in the hard rock and alternative worlds. However, things were looking a bit worse for wear by the mid '90s.

After the release of their self-titled album, the drug problems of singer Layne Staley could no longer be ignored. By the time he showed up at MTV Unplugged, many were unsure if Staley was in any shape to perform, but the shelf life of this performance was proof that that magic was still there. Being unplugged, the actual music is far from bombastic, but the emotion put into these songs make them some of the darkest versions in the band's catalog.

Take a song like "Nutshell," where the original meditative studio version is traded in for one of Staley's most agonizing vocal showcases. Though there are a few moments of levity during the show like the mockery of Metallica, this is probably one of the most tortured gigs from a band who was certainly not short of tortured material.

You wouldn't think a band like Alice in Chains would have the chops to make their acoustic material hit as hard as Johnny Cash, but somehow that pain does find a way.