Jerry Cantrell Brings the Heat on Icy Bensalem Night

Known mostly as the founder and lead guitarist of Alice in Chains, Jerry Cantrell recently began his “I Want Blood” tour to promote the release of his October 2024 solo album, I Want Blood. The recent record also received a deluxe edition on January 31, a day that coincided with the beginning of the tour. With his first solo album releasing back in 1998, he recently began focusing on solo work again after a long hiatus from it between 2002 and 2017. Having a long-standing musical career both as an integral member of Alice in Chains and a solo artist, his influence on the rock and grunge genres remains unmatched. On February 8, Parx Xcite Center in Bensalem, PA welcomed Jerry Cantrell as he performed songs ranging from his recent solo work to Alice in Chains hits. Despite the setlist being cut short presumably due to a severe weather warning, the energy never wavered in the sold-out venue as the crowd sang and headbanged along to every track.

Starting at 7:45, the opening act Filter took the stage. Much like Jerry Cantrell, Filter has made major contributions to the grunge scene since the 1990s, creating a unique style that shaped the genre into what it is today. Since their first album release in 1995, the band originally gained recognition for their creative combination of industrial rock and grunge. While their set was cut short to only six songs, the band gave it their all and thoroughly hyped the crowd for the upcoming headlining act. Before the end of the set, vocalist Richard Patrick announced that they were going to perform the song that “put them on the map”, and subsequently went into the track “Hey Man, Nice Shot”, the band’s biggest hit that was even featured in other media such as Guitar Hero. The track was widely known by the audience as they sang along, fully immersed in the performance at that point.

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At 8:30, the lights began to dim, and the enthusiasm from the crowd was palpable as cheers filled the room. Jerry Cantrell and his band walked onto the stage and opened with “Psychotic Break”, one of his hits from his 2002 album “Degradation Trip”, and the entire audience was already out of their seats; if the venue wasn’t seated, there definitely would’ve been a mosh pit! Jerry Cantrell’s masterful guitar skills took center stage, delivering intense riffs and explosive solos. His vocals were complemented by backup vocalist Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan, who also provided the lead vocals on the Alice in Chains covers. Rhythms from touring guitarist Zach Throne, drummer Ray Mayorga, and bassist Eliot Lorango all helped tie the performance together. They then went into the Alice in Chains hit “Them Bones”, which gathered a loud reaction from all the Alice in Chains superfans in the audience.

Jerry continued to play solo tracks, mostly from the recent record I Want Blood, but also some older fan favorites. As he performed his biggest solo hit, “Cut You In” from his 1998 solo debut Boggy Depot, the crowd’s excitement could barely be contained. Before he performed the title track of I Want Blood, Jerry mentioned that there was an early curfew that night and had to cut the set short, much to the fans’ disappointment. Although there was no reason given for the shortened setlist, it can be assumed that it was due to the warnings of an ice storm in the Bensalem and Philadelphia area that was supposed to start around 10pm. Despite the circumstances, the audience still had the time of their lives and Jerry Cantrell and his band delivered a performance to remember.

Towards the end of the set, Jerry went into more Alice in Chains covers, performing one of the band’s biggest hits “Man in the Box”. Cheers erupted from the venue as the band played the first few notes, and the voices of the crowd singing along to the chorus could surely be heard outside the room. They also played another Alice in Chains hit “Would?”, which also gained one of the loudest reactions as everyone started singing along and headbanging. By this point, the whole crowd was fired up; people even started doing Eagles chants in between songs, to which Jerry responded “Go Birds!” and wished the Eagles luck for the upcoming Super Bowl. At about 10pm, the band concluded with the Alice in Chains classic “Rooster”, and by the end of the show, the cheers and Eagles chants continued for long after the performance. Jerry thanked Bensalem for being a great audience and he and his band threw cups of guitar picks into the crowd, and everyone scrambled and scoured the floor to catch one. Although the set was shortened due to unfortunate weather events, everyone left with an irreplaceable memory of an amazing show by Jerry Cantrell.