photos by Greg Cristman, words by BBG

Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains at Terminal 5

They're calling it Blackdiamondskye. Alice in Chains (new album Black Gives Way To Blue), Deftones (forthcoming album Diamond Eyes), and Mastodon (last album Crack The Skye) will team up for a string of dates this fall including MSG in NYC on Friday, September 24th. Tickets for all dates go on sale May 22nd.

Mastodon is currently on the road with Baroness, Between The Buried and Me and Valient Thorr, and played Starland Ballroom last week. Their setlist from that show is below.

Deftones are welcoming Diamond Eyes, their new album due on May 4th. Check out a pair of videos from this forthcoming LP below, both of which feature new bassist Sergio Vega, best known for his stint with Quicksand. Preorder the record from the band directly to get three remixes including an M83 remix of "Rocket Skates".

Billboard: DO YOU HAVE AN UPDATE ON CHENG'S CONDITION?

Chino Moreno: He's doing a little better and looks healthier. He has a brain injury, and with that you don't really know until he fully wakes up. Right now he's in a semiconscious state. So he wakes up and he sleeps, but he hasn't communicated yet. His eyes are open and he's looking at you. For me, looking into his eyes and standing there talking to him, I feel like he's in there and recovering. He's got to get his motor skills back and be able to communicate. He's got really good doctors working with him right now, trying some experimental therapy to get him to react. It seems to be working, so we're very hopeful that's the case.

The Deftones has been playing with a new bassist in Cheng's absence.

Alice In Chains, who also have May shows coming up in PA, NJ, and Glen Falls, played Terminal 5 on March 8th with Middle Class Rut as part of a two night sold out stint at the 3500-or-so capacity venue (so I guess even with a new singer, and with strong openers, they can headline Madison Square Garden?). Photogrpaher Greg Cristman wrote about that show...

Alice in Chains sounded amazing; every song was delivered with absolute perfection. They came on stage hidden behind a white curtain projecting the pumping heart that appears on the cover of their new album, Black Turns Into Blue. Jerry Cantrell's silhouette soon flashed onto the screen to a great uproar from the crowd and the other members followed. Flashing, shifting and pulsing the shadowplay created an excellent build up and when the curtain suddenly fell to the floor a minute later, revealing the band and the spectacular lighting, the crowd went wild. New singer, William DuVall, held sway over the crowd and there was never any doubt that he belonged and that he wasn't living in the shadow of the late, great Layne Staley. The band was clearly having a fantastic time and it seems they've finally found the stability that was long needed in their group and they looked very comfortable in their new skin. The crowd was one of the best NY crowds I've seen in a long time and they were seriously up for the show prompting Jerry to emphatically tell them they were the best audience they'd seen in days.

Pictures from that show adorn this post. The rest of them, with AIC's set list, the above-mentioned videos and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Alice in Chains touring w/ Mastodon & Deftones (dates), playing MSG, played Terminal 5 (belated pics & setlist) "