in 2009, cantrell invited elton john to collaborate with alice in chains playing the piano in "black gives way to blue", the title track and closing song on the album. cantrell described the song as the band's goodbye to staley. the first concert that staley attended was elton john's, and his mother revealed that he was blown away by it. and cantrell's first album was "elton john greatest hits" (1974), a gift that he received from his father when he was 10 years old.