Daughtry pays tribute to Layne Staley

It almost sounds like a crossword puzzle clue: What "American Idol" contestant is an unlikely fan of grunge, specifically Layne Staley of Alice In Chains? The answer in eight letters, with enough juicy consonants to make Will Shortz wiggle, is Daughtry.

In more than a few ways, Chris Daughtry's self-titled alternative rock band was an odd choice to headline the annual concert that serves to celebrate what would have been the birthday of Staley, particularly on the milestone of what would have been his fortieth.

Staley, a Kirkland native, died in 2002, and though his impact on music remains strong, there is still great sadness about his descent into drug addiction and early demise. To their credit, Staley's family, which organized the benefit concert, has raised over $100,000 toward drug prevention efforts.

They also don't mince words talking about what killed Layne, instead using the kind of straight talk that befits such an epidemic: Even the flyers for the show specifically notated it as a benefit for "hope for heroin recovery."

Getting a superstar act like Daughtry to play this benefit at the Showbox -- he's playing a venue 10 times larger in two weeks in Puyallup -- was a coup, even if Daughtry's only connection to Staley was the Alice in Chains T-shirt he wore. Daughtry's show was slick, professional, timed-to-the-minute, and focused more on theatrics than on emotion -- exactly the opposite of what Staley presented onstage.

Still, Daughtry certainly has studied the sound of Alice. His tight band -- picked for him by his label, rather than formed out of childhood friendships like Alice -- put on an energetic show and hits like "Home" and "There and Back Again" were crowd-pleasing and driving. Coming in fourth on "American Idol" may have been the best career move Daughtry could have made: His latest album has sold over three million copies and is the fastest-selling debut rock album in SoundScan history.

And if a few Daughtry fans came into the club not knowing much about Staley, by the end of the night they were aware of his impact. A touching video by the remaining members of Alice, who were playing Atlantic City on Saturday, showed a lighter side of Staley. Staley's mother sang a duet with a recording of her son, and that and other video presentations kept the focus on Layne despite the headliner.

Openers Soulbender and Riverbend didn't shy away from covering Alice in Chains, and when Soulbender did "Sunshine" they received the kind of applause you'd have expected if Staley himself were onstage. In a way, through T-shirts, video presentations, cover songs, and the kind of musical legacy that shows no sign of fading, Layne Staley was there.

Seattle-area music writer Charles R. Cross is the author of five books: charlesrcross@aol.com.