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Live Review
by SaschaS
2-11-2003
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More on: Jane''s Addiction
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| Perry Farrell: RockGod and Karaoke-star |
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Live: Jane's Addiction
Brixton Academy, London
Friday, October 31, 2003
Jane’s Addiction: Halloween party to treasure
There could hardly have been a better way to spend/celebrate Halloween because Jane’s Addiction provided the best party! Not strange, whatsoever, as the band has a status for extravagant audio-visual spectacles! Still, this time the band was involved in a remarkable evening and not only during but also after their ace show and outside the venue. After the performance - featuring six demi-clad dancers carrying riot shields and Perry Farrell wearing a leather corset (back to the bad, old days, then?!) - the singer appeared outside the venue at 1am to sing karaoke with 100 fans.
The fans were alerted to Farrell’s karaoke versions of The Troggs and The Sex Pistols songs by a ‘flashmob’ message, the numbers collected by registering on the band’s website. Even earlier on, the support band - the ever improving The Cooper Temple Clause - donned fancy gear and assortment of masks [Ben Gautrey sported a half-face clown mask and yellow tail feathers] for the opening song ‘Panzer Attack’; drummer Jon Harper later re-masked for a short stint on Jane’s ‘Just Because’.
Of course we get style and value, brilliance and bewilderingly epic rock tracks; JA’s drop cuts from the current ‘Strays’ disc mixed with the time-honoured classics such as ‘Been Caught Stealing’, ‘Mountain Song’, ‘Three Days’… All are Led Zeppelin-esque musically but, showmanship-wise, PF is a mercurial heir to, well - Freddie Mercury and Queen. That was onstage but things would develop off and outside the venue, thanks to the ‘mobflashing’ the band employed for the first time to txt-alert after the surprise (TCTC) guest-slot.
The show ended at 12.15am and the crowd gathered outside for 12.45 when manager came out to bring stats of lyrics for ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Monster Mash’. Shortly afterwards Farrell turned up to belt out ‘Wild Thing’, followed by ‘God Save The Queen’ but when he launched ‘Lola’ the ‘back-benchers’ wanted ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’. The karaoke star-de-nuit then briefly voiced ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’ before departing from the delighted but dazed and confused fans.
Inside, the boiling point was reached earlier several times with a set of songs that was delivered all camped up with Farrell’s panache going at times OTT as performing in a Gaybar, a trait not so evident before. JA are as much about theatrics as about riffs: Dave Navarro joins in the show-offing and plays that geetar to surpass his six-stringer status! Stephen Perkins provides the dynamics and shapes from behind the drumkit to recall John Bonham's power, a particular joy for those who had been lucky to experience Bonzo’s style live.
For additional attraction there were babes, who originally ‘entertained’ at the merchandising stand waving their truncheons and shields proclaiming 'Polite', graced the stage with a dance routine to KRS-One's 'Sound Of Da Police' just before JA appeared, and returned for the closing 'Jane's Says'.
Any reformation following a small aeon [13 years in the JA’s case], unfortunately ends looking and sounding like the Spinal Tap’s outtake. JA are far from the rut, they brazenly trace their own furrow to the Hall Of Fame. We can almost foresee that history will recall them in the same breath like the progeny of Led Zepp, The Doors, Talking Heads and Nirvana ilk, while imitators such as Red Hot Chili Peppers will be grouped with Status Quo.
“Halloween: full of fun and scares,” remarked the man who is the Rock God bar none, right now... and has been for quite a while due to almost being forgotten during his own ‘exile’ of Lollapalooza tour organising.
One feels that this band - that lit the fuse that started the Rock’n’Roll renaissance of the 90s and regained dignity for Hard-but-intelligent rocking - are back just in time, when they’re needed most. The best is on the agenda again to set more milestones for the next rock-nation.
SaschaS
2-11-2003
Jane’s Addiction album ’Strays’ is available now on Parlophone/Capitol
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