Alice in Chains leader Jerry Cantrell was spotted showing off a newly shorn look in a photo taken backstage at Thursday’s Aerosmith & Friends concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
Throughout a majority of Alice in Chains’ first era and for a good portion of the band’s second, Cantrell was often spotted with flowing beyond-the-shoulder-length blonde locks, but his new haircut features him with a closely-cropped short hair cut, similar to what he had first around 2011 and again later in 2013 during promotion of The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here album.
The photo shows him posing with longtime friend and fellow Seattle denizen Nancy Wilson of Heart. Wilson added a few pink streaks to her blonde locks as well in the photo she shared online, as seen below.
What Jerry Cantrell Has Said Previously About Reactions to His Haircuts
Back in 2018, Jerry Cantrell appeared on the Tune In podcast (per Ultimate Guitar) and spoke openly about the surprise backlash he received after initially cutting his hair.
“I was actually really surprised that so many people were that bummed about me getting a haircut. But I guess it’s been my identity, so… my hair has been long as hell since I was a late teenager. But I just thought, ‘God, I’ve looked the same for 25 years. Maybe I should try to change it up.'”
He then added, “I didn’t realize the backlash I’d get. It’s like, ‘Why’d you cut your hair, dude?!’ I’m like, ‘I’m still me, man. I just got a haircut, dude.’ But uh, it’s nice to have it back. And more importantly, as a 52-year-old man, it’s nice to know you can still grow a full head of hair. So I’m not complaining.”
Why Was Jerry Cantrell at the Aerosmith & Friends Show?
As stated, the Cantrell photo was snapped backstage at the Aerosmith & Friends show on Thursday (Oct. 29). However, the musician was not among the acts that performed during the show.
It appears as though Cantrell was on hand just to lend his support to some of his fellow rockers, as Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez was part of the house band for the night and his longtime friends in Heart were among those playing a mini-set as part of the festivities.
READ MORE: Jerry Cantrell Names His Favorite Songs From Fellow Seattle Grunge Group
Cantrell also was likely getting a feel for how things will play out as he was one of the musicians named to appear as part of the two scheduled shows at the Hollywood Bowl. While he didn’t perform Thursday night, that likely means he’ll be one of the featured performers on Sunday (Nov. 1) when the second show takes place.
Below, see how we ranked every songs from Alice In Chains’ Layne Staley-era.
Every Alice In Chains Song (With Layne Staley) Ranked
Here’s our ranking of every Alice In Chains song with Layne Staley, from Facelift to their Music Bank box set.
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
