Jerry Cantrell blends past and present in iconic set at Toad’s Place
There are legends in rock whose love for the art has shaped countless acts, and whose music has doubled as therapy for generations of fans. Jerry Cantrell is one of them. On September 3, a sold-out Wednesday night in New Haven, the Alice In Chains guitarist, songwriter, and frontman reminded a crowd (predominantly forty and older) how his unmistakable sound came to define the grunge era.
Opening the evening was Sparta, an El Paso trio whose return to Toad’s Place marked their first appearance there since 2004. Thheir sound struck a balance between alt-rock melody and a sharper, more aggressive post-hardcore bite. Their set was lean but powerful. A mid-song equipment failure didn’t throw them off—they dropped back in almost exactly where they left it. The emotionally charged vocals and trailing guitar solos were the perfect lead-in to Cantrell.
Cantrell delivered a carefully balanced mix, leaning into the timeless weight of Alice In Chains while pulling from his own solo catalog. His voice and guitar are so instantly recognizable that the songs didn’t feel separated by three decades. They bled into one another, bound by themes of life, loss, and everything in between.
Everything in between… that tension is what defined the grunge era. Cantrell and the rest of Alice In Chains gave voice to a generation that refused to buy what their parents were selling. We grew up frustrated with old traditions in a world just waking up to the internet, already sensing that the system was broken.
Now, decades later, in an age where the truth is only a click away, it’s clear we weren’t wrong to question it as kids. That’s what makes Cantrell’s body of work so timeless. The same music that once gave us an emotional outlet now brings us clarity and perspective.
jERRY CANTRELL SET LIST
Psychotic Break
Them Bones
Vilified
Afterglow
Atone
Man in the Box
Cut You In
Dickeye
Off the Rails
I Want Blood
Rain When I Die
Angel Eyes
Brighten
Had To Know
It Ain’t Like That (encore)
Echoes of Laughter (encore)
Rooster (encore)
