Alice in Chains were forced to cancel the opening night of their U.S. tour on Thursday after longtime drummer and co-founder Sean Kinney experienced a medical emergency.
The cancellation came just hours before the band was set to take the stage, shocking and disappointing fans.
The iconic Seattle rock group – comprised of vocalist William DuVall, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez, and Kinney – was scheduled to perform at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, marking the start of a multi-city run across the U.S.
But in a statement posted to their Instagram Story shortly before showtime, the band announced that Kinney had suffered ‘a non-life-threatening medical emergency’ following soundcheck, forcing them to cancel the show at the last minute.
‘We unfortunately have to cancel tonight’s show,’ the band wrote. ‘We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience. Refunds are available at the point of purchase.’
Fans were already arriving at the venue when the announcement went out. ‘I literally pulled into the venue when fans told me,’ one attendee shared online.
No further details about Kinney’s condition have been released, and the band has yet to confirm whether upcoming shows – scheduled for May 10 in New Jersey and May 11 in Ohio – will proceed as planned.
The canceled performance was intended to kick off a summer tour that will culminate in a major appearance on July 5 at Black Sabbath’s final live show at Villa Park in Birmingham.
That historic event features a stacked lineup, including Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Anthrax, Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses, KoRn, Tool, and members of Aerosmith and Soundgarden.
As of now, fans await word on both Kinney’s recovery and the future of the remaining tour dates.
Alice in Chains is an iconic rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney.
The lineup soon solidified with the addition of bassist Mike Starr (later replaced by Mike Inez) and iconic frontman Layne Staley.
They were peers of bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, though their sound was darker and more metal-influenced than their grunge contemporaries.
Their 1990 debut Facelift, featuring the hit Man in the Box, put them on the map, and the 1992 follow-up Dirt became a defining album of the era, with songs like Rooster, Them Bones, and Would? tackling themes of addiction, war, and existential despair.
After years of success, the band entered a long hiatus in the late ’90s due to Staley’s struggles with addiction.
His death in 2002 marked a tragic chapter in the band’s history. In 2006, Alice in Chains regrouped with new vocalist William DuVall, who shared lead duties with Cantrell.
Today, Alice in Chains is celebrated as one of the most influential rock acts of the past four decades.
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