10 Classic Rock Music Songs That Sounded Better Stripped Down

When Alice in Chains finally got the call to appear on MTV Unplugged, they may as well have already broken up. The name may have existed out in the world of rock, but the original lineup was on its last legs, as Layne Staley continued to spiral through his dependency on drugs. They had no reason to back down from an offer like this, and they kicked things off with a performance that could tear your heart out.

Although most fans were probably used to Alice’s acoustic cuts on their EPs Jar of Flies and SAP, hearing Layne sing Nutshell in this state is a much harder pill to swallow as a fan. During the sessions for Jar of Flies, you could already tell that Layne was in a bad way, but you could still hear the band rocking underneath, like the amazing distorted solo that comes in towards the end of the song.

There’s nothing to hide behind here though, and seeing Layne completely exposed like this almost feels exploitative, as he sings the different lines about fighting his battle all alone and seeing his privacy get pulled out from under him in the process. Despite his performance sounding amazing, you can also tell that he’s in a bad way, not moving around very much, almost like he would fall apart if he were to move an inch. Layne would keep fighting his demons until 2002, but for this final show, you knew this story wasn’t going to have a happy ending.