Here’s where Layne Staley got his pipes. A video of Nancy Staley has been making the rounds, where the mother of Alice in Chains’ late vocalist sings Mad Season’s “Wake Up” at a Seattle tribute show.

Back in August 2018, a Layne Staley tribute show was held at The Showbox. Proceeds from the gig went to the Layne Staley Memorial Fund and the AIC tribute band Jar of Flies performed live. However, it was Nancy Staley who stole the show, singing her son’s music for the hometown crowd.

Nancy Staley took to the stage alone and barefoot, armed with only a mic to sing the opening track of Mad Season’s sole album, Above. Unassuming as she may look, Nancy absolutely crushed the track, reaching deep down to harness Layne’s power along with his trademark vocal technique.

“I would say Alice in Chains is even more relevant now, given the opioid crisis across our country,” Nancy recently told Northwest Music Scene. “The purpose of the music – Layne would say, ‘Mom, don’t they listen to the words?’ The purpose of his music was to warn people. ‘This is a trap, and it’s a trap that even I can’t get out of,’ he tried to warn people. With all of his money and all of his fortune and fame. He was in treatment ten times. He died at least five times, that we know of. He was dropped off at a hospital. He had infections. And he was still writing. He was still warning people. He was still performing.”

Watch Nancy Staley sing Mad Season’s “Wake Up” in the video above.