10 Most Emotional Onstage Moments In Rock

From the beginning, MTV Unplugged had always been about showing a different side of the respective acts on the show. Whether it was Pearl Jam stripping down Jeremy to just a few acoustics to Clapton virtually reinventing his classic Layla, each of these shows provide a different snapshot into these artists' worlds whenever they enter the studio. In Alice in Chains' case though, the sight isn't always the most optimistic.

While Alice had been asked to contribute to the show in some capacity, they had usually declined depending on the fractured physical state of Layne Staley. Going into the studio to cut acoustic EPs like Jar of Flies, the thought of turning it down again almost seemed silly by the time the offer came up in the mid '90s. Once they arrived though, Layne was incredibly frail, having been in the throes of addiction for months previously. Though many were wondering what kind of show we would get, the opening strains of Nutshell provided just the right context for the night.

As Layne sings about his sad state of mind, there's almost no symbolism at all, with most of his demons laid out cut and dry tucked beneath his glasses. No band ever wants to find themselves in a state like this, but rarely has this kind of pain been able to generate as much magic as this one song did.