Watch Layne Staley's Final Performance With Alice In Chains in 1996 | Revolver

Watch Layne Staley's Final Performance With Alice In Chains in 1996

Singer would never take stage again following Kansas City gig

Alice in Chains frontman and grunge pioneer Layne Staley, one of the most iconic singers in modern rock history, was just 34 when he suffered an overdose in his Seattle condo, bringing his burgeoning career — and his decades-long battle against substance abuse — to a tragic conclusion. Staley's struggles with heroin and cocaine were public knowledge long before his 2002 passing; as a result of the singer's addiction, the band was unable to tour behind its most successful release to date (1995's eponymous LP), performing only intermittently.

Things seemed hopeful on April 10th, 1996, when Staley reunited with the band for an MTV Unplugged show, but the comeback was ultimately short-lived: Less than three months later, on July 3rd, Alice in Chains took the stage at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, for what would be their final performance with Staley, who, in retrospect, was clearly not in great shape, though he forged through the set admirably. Footage of the band's entire 47-minute swan song — capped by an intense take on "Man in the Box" — has since found its way to YouTube, where it serves as a bittersweet memorial to the singer.