Seattle grunge pioneers Alice In Chains were joined by legendary guitarist Robby Krieger, of the pioneering psychedelic rock band The Doors, during a performance at the Hollywood Palladium. Krieger joined the band to perform a cover of The Doors classic “Rooster.”
“Robby Krieger was kind enough to join us to close the show on Rooster at the palladium tonight,” Jerry Cantrell, the band’s co-vocalist and guitarist stated on Instagram.”One of my musical heroes , friend and occasional golf partner…. what an honor especially in LA.”
Fellow co-vocalist and guitarist William DuVall also made a statement on social media regarding Krieger’s appearance and his influence on popular music. “Robby Krieger is one of my absolute heroes – a rocker with the heart of a jazzman. He introduced Coltrane/Ravi Shankar-style improvisation to rock guitar while also being a great pop songwriter for the Doors,” DuVall explained in an Instagram post. “Robby wrote some of their biggest hits, including ‘Light My Fire,’ which was the first song he EVER wrote (talk about comin’ in hot), and ‘Love Me Two Times.’ He’s a truly great all-around musician and it was a tremendous honor to share the stage with him tonight.”
The Doors were founded in Los Angeles in 1965 by Krieger, lead singer Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, and drummer John Densmore. Morrison, who formed the band shortly after graduating from the UCLA film school, named the band after the Aldous Huxley book The Doors of Perception.
In 1971, Morrison, who had issues with alcoholism throughout the late ’60s, was found dead in a Paris apartment due to heart failure, yet an autopsy was never performed. Despite his death, the band continued for two more years after his death, officially breaking up in 1973. In 1978 the band had a short-lived reunion where they released An American Prayer, which saw Krieger, Manzarek and Densmore record backing tracks over Morrison’s poetry.
Alice in Chains are currently on tour in support of their latest album Rainier Fog, which was released this past week. One of the band’s most notable performances included a show atop Seattle, Washington’s iconic Space Needle in August.
Check out the performance below:
Photo Credit: Marv Watson