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Every musical movement is marked by a moment when the torch is passed to a new proponent, though often this occurs long before the earliest bearers have decided to call it a career. To quote the 1992 HBO film Beethoven Lives Upstairs, music isn’t something that one can just quit, and it is most becoming of the forbearers of any sub-genre that has amassed a considerable following to continue leading the proverbial charge. Case and point, Seattle grunge icons and metal crossover extraordinaire Alice In Chains, a band that has proved the most qualitatively consistent and possessed of the greatest longevity of the prime movers of their respective style, and one that has continued to wow audiences across the globe since their rise to prominence in the early 90s. Yet for those who managed to catch them during their 2022 tour and particularly their West Palm Beach performance on October 1, it was also an occasion to observe a proud fatherly fold see the bands that they’ve inspired shine along with them.

Kicking off the grand showcase that would unfold at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre would be the newly minted hard rock quartet from New York in Plush, a band named for one of the most iconic songs from the glory days of the early '90s alternative rock explosion no less. Though their brand of impact-based sonic bombast bore more of a resemblance to the slightly psychedelic trappings of Heart’s 1970s repertoire and lead vocalist/guitarist Moriah Formica’s soaring wails are all but a dead-ringer for that of Ann Wilson, it was hard to miss the sludgy similarities that heavy-ended bangers like “Athena” and “Will Not Win” share with the older Seattle sound. Though their set would be fairly short due to the multiplicity of heavy-hitters that would be following them, they made a hell of a ruckus between the aforementioned power anthems, along with the riveting rendition of Heart’s “Barracuda” and poignant semi-ballad “Sober”, and garnered a respectably roaring response from the crowd.

The audience would subsequently swell to capacity with all eyes and ears forward with the arrival of transitional mid-90s rock stalwarts and British import Bush to the stage. Led by guitarist, vocal helmsman and lone founding member Gavin Rossdale, they’d raise the very concept of working a crowd to a veritable art form, rolling out classics and newly composed songs to consistent levels of elation. Suffice it to say, this fold was on fire like brush set ablaze, with two of the crowning moments of the set being Rossdale delivering a brilliant vocal performance of newer banger “Flowers On A Grave” while roaming among the crowd in the surrounding field and a pummeling musical quotation of Black Sabbath’s “Children Of The Grave” following their performance of “Quicksand”. Then again, nostalgia would prove a highly potent tool in the band’s arsenal as classics off their debut album “Machinehead”, “Everything Zen”, “Comedown” and especially the exposed solo performance put on by Gavin of “Glycerine” were met with deafening applause.

The clock would then be turned forward a tad to the height of the post-grunge side of the alternative rock/metal coin with an extended 75-minute set courtesy of Pennsylvania’s own Breaking Benjamin. The tone that they would bring would prove a bit darker and more metallic, and though like Bush they came to the table with only one original member intact in lead vocalist Benjamin Burnley, the performance rivaled if not surpassed the bottom-heavy bombast of each song’s studio equivalent. Between the blaring pyrotechnics display and the elaborate dance of the stage lights, a visual extravaganza was accomplished that perfectly matched the fury of the sonic assault of this Wilkes-Barre born quintet, and the crowd’s euphoric response constantly flirted with a frenzied state. The format would be switched up a bit as bassist Aaron Bruch would handle vocals on the meaty rocker “Firefly” and guitarist Keith Wallen would take the reins on the dynamic anthem “Sooner Or Later”, but ultimately Burnley would steal the show between his fun-loving banter with the crowd during the lead up to a forceful foray into “Polyamorous” and a quasi-biographical and motivational soliloquy immediately after a rock solid rendition of late 2000s hit “I Will Not Bow” and prior to show closer and crowd favorite “The Diary Of Jane”.

The level of pandemonium among the thrones of attendees already achieved was somehow meeting a comparable level of anticipation as the entry of the night’s headliner neared, and true to form, Alice In Chains brought the fire down something fierce from the very first note. Despite the absence of iconic and dearly departed original vocalist Layne Staley, this was the same exact band that put the Seattle sound on the map and simultaneously cut heads with the titans of thrash and heavy metal during that pivotal point where the ‘80s gave way to the ‘90s, with newest member and singer/guitarist William DuVall doing a more than adequate job of completing the arrangement while also bringing his own more soulful, dynamic and unique sound into the fold while gelling with Jerry Cantrell’s more static and subdued baritone during those signature vocal harmony parts. When combined with the steady chug of Mike Inez’s raunchy bass work and the punchy grooves of drummer Sean Kinney, the sound achieved was dark and forbidding enough to instantly transport all present back to the bleak year of 1992 that birthed their seminal sophomore album “Dirt,” which coincidentally turned 30 years old two days before the event, and which would be well represented during their 75-minute set.

Perhaps the most auspicious feature of Alice In Chains’ performance would prove the uniqueness of the song selection, as they’ve been routinely swapping out individual numbers and wound up with a few noteworthy anthems not heard at many prior tour stops, though the classics would ultimately reign supreme. Arguably the most surprising entry was that of obscure 1990 banger “It Ain’t Like That”, which proved one of this outfit’s closest flirtations with the then declining L.A. sleaze sound and proved an interesting addition alongside darker fair like “Angry Chair” and “Grind”, all of which saw DuVall shining brightly as their long established front-man. Naturally compact bangers with a heavy edge like “Again” and “Them Bones” rocked something fierce, and the newer entry “Check My Brain” performed similarly and tied in this current incarnation of Alice In Chains with their 90s glory days quite effectively. Yet crowd elation would reach its apex points during the infectious refrain and wailing lead guitar work of “Man In The Box” (Cantrell’s soloing would be a standout element throughout most of the entire set), the melancholy harmonies of “No Excuses”, and the dreary and harrowing atmosphere of fan-favorite closer “Rooster”.

As the ensemble cast of impressive characters concluded their sonic display upon the masses at West Palm Beach, the only enigma that lingered in the air was whether nostalgia or novelty was the strongest component. Between the highly impressive display that kicked off this occasion via the young and freshly minted energy of Plush and the still prolific output of the elder bands that followed, it would be a mistake to consider these prime movers of the grunge, post-grunge and broader alternative rock sound as “has-beens” that are simply living off their past accomplishments. Youthful exuberance was tempered by a highly refined execution that was not lost on a single individual that stood among the masses. With the tour now poised to proceed north along the East Coast of the United States, it’s a foregone conclusion that North Carolina and Virginia are sure to experience a similarly colossal spectacle, and that all involved still have much to say regarding the current status of the rock music scene.