Hi Jerry,

I just wanted to write and say thank you for treating us so well in Phoenix. I will never forget that night and was hoping you could let Baldy know as well (as I don’t have an e-mail address for him). Here is a short review that I wrote for other fans to read:

When the Alice~in~Chains set ended Tuesday night and the final note of "Rooster" rolled across the Phoenix Cricket Pavilion, the response from the fans was nothing short of amazing. Alice had kicked ass, and the crowd’s explosive applause was just as loud, loving, and heartfelt as the show.

 But what I will always remember about that night is not just the blistering set, or the bands precision, or even the crowd’s reaction, but what I saw backstage before and after the show. Let me explain.

 My wife and I have been huge fans from the day we heard “We Die Young” (almost 17 years ago!) and although we’ve seen Jerry Cantrell live, this was our very first live Alice-in-Chains show. We were so excited to finally see the band that we almost couldn’t believe our luck when we won 2 backstage passes from a local radio station by winning an A.I.C. trivia game (Thanks KUPD!).

 My wife and I arrived early to the show and were introduced to Baldy who surprised us by taking us on a full-blown behind the scenes tour and “meet-and-greet” with the band. We were expecting just a quick look around backstage and the chance to maybe spot a member of the band but instead we were treated to a fans greatest dream.

 Baldy started off by showing us around the dressing rooms and introducing us to much of the crew and staff, he then took us through the backstage area showing us all the gear and guitars and as we were checking out the basses we ran into Mike Inez! Mike was cool as hell and very personable, taking photos with us and answering our questions. We next got a tour of Jerry’s bus and chance to see some of the ways they kill time. Then just as the show was about to begin, we got what we were hoping for… Will, Jerry, Mike & Sean all stopped to sign our “Dirt” CD and take photos with us. They, like their crew, were absolutely genuine and cool as hell- asking how our night had been and chatting with us briefly before hitting the stage.

 Finally, as if Baldy and the band had not already done enough, they put us on the stage so we could watch the show from the bass pit! We will never forget that show- the power of the music, the band’s stage presence, the faces of the crowd, the voice of the audience singing with the band, and seeing Jerry so pumped that he tossed his guitar high into the air to be caught by his guitar tech at the show’s end.

 They say that there is nothing worse than meeting your heroes only to find out they are assholes… but now I know there is nothing better than meeting your heroes only to find out they are everything you hoped they would be.

 Thank you Alice-in-Chains! And thank you Baldy for everything! You are good people and truly a class act loved by millions. I know why.

Scott & Jan Longman

Phoenix, AZ

P.S. (Right before we were to get a photo with the band my camera batteries died! Before I could even ask, Baldy had gone and grabbed a fresh set and handed them to me without a thought… see what I mean folks?!!)