On February 8, 1993, during "Alice in Chains’" performance at "Cirkus" in Stockholm, Sweden, frontman Layne Staley took an unforgettable stand against Nazism and racism.
(Photo: Tim Mosenfelder)
It was during "Alice in Chains’" European tour with "Screaming Trees", and about a month after bassist Mike Inez replaced Mike Starr. At a time when the band was at the peak of their success with "Dirt", the concert took an unexpected turn when a Nazi skinhead in the crowd began making offensive gestures and physically attacking other fans in the mosh pit.
Staley, known for his no-nonsense attitude, wasn’t about to let it slide. As tensions grew, right after the band finished playing “It Ain’t Like That” Staley paused the show and directed his attention toward the man causing trouble. Instead of simply calling him out from the stage or asking he would escorted out of the venue, he invited him up, catching both the crowd and his bandmates off guard. Security helped the skinhead climb onto the stage, and just as the audience braced for what would happen next, Staley landed two punches before pushing him off the stage.
The crowd erupted in applause and cheers, fully backing the singer’s decisive action. Before returning to the performance, Staley leaned into the microphone and shouted:
"Fucking Nazis die!". Apparently the whole show was filmed so you can watch the incident at around 47:00 min. of the video:
Although the incident was met with overwhelming support from fans, the man reported Staley to the police, prompting an investigation. By the time Swedish authorities attempted to locate him, Layne Staley and the band’s guitar tech, Randy Biro, had already board a ferry to Finland. However, the rest of "Alice in Chains" - Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney and Mike Inez were detained, and their passports were confiscated until Staley returned.
When he eventually faced questioning, the situation took an unexpected turn—the man’s own brother defended the band, siding with Staley. After a short interview, Swedish police dropped the case.
The full show setlist:
Dam That River
We Die Young
Them Bones
Would?
Love, Hate, Love
Junkhead
God Smack
Bleed the Freak
Put You Down
Sickman
It Ain't Like That
Rooster
Dirt
Hate to Feel
Encore:
Angry Chair
Man in the Box
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