Kansas City’s Uptown Theater has long been a room that thrives on atmosphere. The gilded ceilings, the darkened corners, the way the sound seems to hang in the air—it’s the sort of space that makes a concert feel less like an event and more like a gathering of disciples. On September 14, 2025, Jerry Cantrell stepped onto that stage with his I Want Blood tour and turned the theater into a cathedral of heavy rock, equal parts celebration and reckoning.
The evening began with “Psychotic Break,” a song that felt like an incantation. Its crawling menace set a mood immediately, and as the band settled into the groove, the audience braced itself for impact. That impact arrived with “Them Bones.” The opening riff landed like a punch, and suddenly the Uptown was transformed—no longer a seated theater, but a storm of raised fists and voices screaming every word. Cantrell wasted no time reminding the crowd that while his solo catalog is formidable, the DNA of Alice in Chains still courses through his veins.
What made the night so compelling was how seamlessly he wove past and present together. Newer solo songs like “Vilified” and “Afterglow” carried as much weight as the classics, their melodies swelling with the kind of melancholy and grit that has always defined Cantrell’s writing. “Atone,” from Brighten, was delivered with haunting clarity, its chorus echoing like a prayer across the ornate room. These songs didn’t just hold their own—they expanded the canvas.
Still, there were moments when the audience’s energy reached another level entirely. “Man in the Box” was a communal eruption, the iconic riff still as dangerous and defiant as it was three decades ago. Later, rarities like “Cut You In” and “Dickeye” offered deep cuts that longtime fans hungrily devoured. When the snarling new title track “I Want Blood” arrived, it felt like Cantrell staking his claim—not a legacy act cashing in on old glories, but a working artist still pushing, still fighting, still hungry.
The Alice in Chains material returned in force as the set deepened. “Rain When I Die” was towering, its slow build swelling into something vast and thunderous. “Brighten” and “Had to Know” brought the spotlight back to Cantrell’s solo years before “Would?” cracked the evening wide open. The theater sang the chorus like a hymn, the collective voice of hundreds carrying the weight of one of rock’s most enduring anthems.
After a brief exit, Cantrell and his band returned for an encore that felt carefully sculpted to leave a mark. “Echoes of Laughter” shimmered with introspection, offering a moment of calm before the grinding riffs of “It Ain’t Like That” reignited the room. And then came “Rooster.” It is the song everyone expects, but also the one no one could live without. The Uptown swelled with voices, the chorus reverberating through the theater like a living memory. For a few minutes, the boundary between performer and audience dissolved; it was just one collective roar, one scarred story shared by all.
What lingered after the final notes wasn’t just nostalgia, though. It was affirmation. With I Want Blood, Cantrell has made it clear that he isn’t content to simply preserve the past—he’s writing new chapters, ones that sound just as vital, just as urgent. The show was a reminder of how rare it is for an artist to bridge decades of music with such coherence, making old songs feel alive and new songs feel timeless.
In Kansas City, Jerry Cantrell didn’t just play a show. He commanded a congregation, one that left the Uptown Theater with ears ringing, voices hoarse, and the unmistakable sense that they had witnessed something more than just a concert. They had witnessed an artist still in the fight, still bleeding into his craft, still demanding—blood, sweat, and everything in between.
Setlist — Uptown Theater, Kansas City
- “Psychotic Break”
- “Them Bones” (Alice in Chains)
- “Vilified”
- “Afterglow”
- “Atone”
- “Man in the Box” (Alice in Chains)
- “Cut You In”
- “My Song”
- “Dickeye”
- “Off the Rails”
- “I Want Blood”
- “Rain When I Die” (Alice in Chains)
- “Brighten”
- “Had to Know”
- “Would?” (Alice in Chains)
Encore:
16. “Echoes of Laughter”
17. “It Ain’t Like That” (Alice in Chains)
18. “Rooster” (Alice in Chains)
Top 3 Moments of the Night
- “Man in the Box” Ignites the Room – The instant the riff kicked in, the crowd’s roar nearly drowned out the band. A communal eruption decades in the making.
- The Ferocity of “I Want Blood” – A live debut that didn’t just impress, it declared Cantrell’s ongoing relevance with venom and conviction.
- “Rooster” as a Communion – The closer wasn’t just played, it was shared. Every voice in the Uptown Theater carried the chorus like a torch.
Photos by Thomas Woroniak for Antihero Magazine
Jerry Cantrell
