Description
Official media invitations to the fifth RIP PARTY to be held at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunset Boulevard, on the 6th of October 1991, read ‘Blowout, Massacre, Party, Whatever! And while thankfully there was no massacre, there was a blowout. There was even a rumour that Metallica would close the show as secret special guests. The kings of metal had shared the stage with members of Guns N’ Roses and Skid Row a year previously at the same venue, but by the fall of 1991, Seattle musicians had invaded Los Angeles. The party included Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, along with Thunder and the one and only Spinal Tap. Jonathan Gold put it bluntly in his Los Angeles Times review that the bands from the Northwest did not add much to the Sunday nights proceedings. Gold commented, But for most people the highlight was probably Spinal Tap. The gathering in LA was the first public show that brought together three of the four heavyweight bands from the grunge era, into a live setting. Nirvana the missing piece, were over 2,000 miles away in Atlanta promoting Nevermind. Lonn Friend, who was the editor of RIP magazine at the time and a regular contributor to Headbangers Ball with his segment Friend at Large recalls the organization of putting such a show together. I organized the gathering. I booked the talent for all seven RIP parties, personal calls and relationships and creative partners. Columbia flew me up to Seattle with Kevin Kennedy PR and Nick Terzo A&R to see Alice in Chains at a theater, before the first LP (Facelift). Moments after Pearl Jam’s set, Eddie Vedder, along with Chris Cornell and Layne Staley, were whisked backstage for a short interview with Friend. For many fans of this era, this segment, infamously archived now on YouTube, is the crème de la crème of footage documenting the Grunge scene. All in the same space at one time and all in their prime. For the so called Generation X this was Jagger, Lennon and Morrison in one room. Staley stood behind Friend and proclaimed about the city that he loathed, “It’s the best thing that ever happened to LA,” concerning the Seattle bands that were playing that night. Vedder seemed hesitant, even a little shy, whilst Cornell looked the most relaxed. Immediately following the interview, Staley took to the stage with Alice in Chains and they opened up with Sickman, which would appear a year later on Dirt. The only other song from that album played that night was Would. Duff McKagan from Guns N Roses joined the band for set closer Man in the Box. McKagan, who was born in Seattle, had hooked up with the band a few days earlier at a Pearl Jam gig, and thereafter members of Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains crashed at McKagan’s house. When Soundgarden took the stage they sounded full, and hard-edged, and bluesy–if a bit more generic than usual. They blasted through half its new album. They were followed by Spinal Tap and when they finished the show, and it was definite that there would not be an appearance from Metallica, the crowd dispersed. But alas there would be one final special guest: Temple Of The Dog! By this time however only 500 of the 4,000 patrons were left in the building, underlining the saying that the show is never over until the fat lady sings. However Temple Of The Dog, whose poppy tunes were sort of anticlimactic after Soundgarden’s intensity or the comedy of Spinal Tap. On this album you’ll find seven of the tracks Soundgarden performed this night. Just listen to the incredible cover version of Black Sabbaths Into The Void
Track listing:
1. Into The Void-Black Sabbath cover
2. Outshined
3. Gun
4. Room A Thousand Years Wide
5. Big Dumb Sex
6. Jesus Christ Pose
7. Searching With My Good Eye Closed