Grunge pioneers Alice in Chains are going to be returning to their hometown of Seattle, Washington, in high-fashion; performing 500 feet in the air on the city’s iconic Space Needle. This performance will take place with the help of Sirius XM on August 21st.
The acoustic event will be private, and is only open to a few Sirius XM subscribers and partners. Sirius XM will broadcast the performance in it’s entirety however, on August 31st at 5 p.m. eastern and pacific time.
Alice in Chains will be the first band to ever perform on “The Loupe,” the world’s first and only revolving glass floor, which was added to the Space Needle during its renovation in late 2017. “The Loupe’s revolving floor is powered by 12 motors and offers an entire 360 degree view of the city.
Seattle’s Space Needle was constructed back in 1962 during the city’s World’s Fair, which attracted over 2 million visitors to the city. In 2017, the historic landmark underwent a $100 million renovation for the first time in over 50 years.
“I’ve visited the Space Needle many times in my life and it’s going to be a real honor and a total trip for us to play there,”Alice In Chains co-lead vocalist vocalist Jerry Cantrell stated in a press release. “We’re so proud of this album and to be able to celebrate its release with a performance at one of our town’s most iconic landmarks is really special. It sorta reminds me of the time we did the “Again” video, but instead of being 6 feet in the air rocking out on a glass floor, we’ll be 50 stories high…slight difference.”
During the late 80s and early 1990’s Seattle was the hometown of the grunge-movement which exploded in popularity in 1991. Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains were considered to be the movement’s major figureheads during this era.
The Space Needle performance will be the second Seattle-based event regarding the band; the Seattle Mariners’s will be hosting an “Alice In Chains Night,” on Safeco Field the night before this performance. This pre-game listening event will give attendees a Rainier Fog CD and an Alice In Chains t-shirt.
Alice In Chain’s Rainier Fog will be released on August 24, and will be the first new album from the band in over five years. The band will be performing another concert in Seattle following the albums release on August 25, at the White River Amphitheater. Following this performance, the band are set to resume their current summer tour, which began back in April.
“It’s about feeling completely up against it – outnumbered, surrounded, facing seemingly unbeatable odds and being really pissed off about it,” the bands other co-lead singer William Duvall stated regarding the album.”It was inspired by personal circumstances, as well as events in the wider world. But it’s not as resigned to defeat as it may seem.”
Earlier this month the band released the album’s first single entitled “Never Fade,” on August 11. The album’s next two singles “The One You Know,” and “So Far Under,” will be released alongside the album on August 24.
Photo Credit: Marv Watson