Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley's career was progressively derailed by heroin addiction beginning in the early 1990s, with his condition intensifying following the 1996 death of his fiancée Demri Parrott. The addiction severely compromised his health and the band's touring capacity, leaving him increasingly reclusive and physically deteriorated by the mid-1990s.

Staley's final live performance occurred on July 3, 1996, when Alice in Chains opened a Kiss tour date at Kansas City's Kemper Arena, closing their set with "Man in the Box." Shortly after this show, Staley experienced a heroin overdose requiring hospitalisation, marking the end of his live performance career.