Alice in Chains's dark intensity was palatable but never seemed out-of-place in the regal venue.

Alice in Chains is one of the many bands to come out of the Seattle grunge scene of the early ’90s. Often overlooked by fans that flocked to Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam, I found out for myself just how great Alice is. The band played a sold-out show at Symphony Hall(!), after opening act New Regime showed off with an energetic set and an ambitious cover of Hendrix's "Spanish Castle."

Then the crowd got schooled on the magnificence of Alice. With an audience of all ages, from retired to school-aged, the band's dark intensity was palatable but never seemed out-of-place in the regal venue. Both bands mentioned how unusual it was for them to play on such a stage that normally caters to the hoity-toity opera crowd.

Alice in Chains got down to business with one of their newer (2012) songs, "Hollow," and then segued into "Them Bones." A perfect rendition of "Angry Chair" and the melancholy crybaby-wah guitar work of Jerry Cantrell of "Man in a Box" threw fans into frenzy.

"Over Now" was somber but not enough to kill the spirit of excited fans who got an encore of "Down in a Hole," "Rooster," and finally "No Excuses" to end this “stay classy” grunge fest.

• Concert: Alice in Chains, with New Regime
• Date: October 2
• Venue: Copley Symphony Hall
• Seats: Main section, Row BB, Seat 113