Jane'sapalooza
All weekend long we were guests to Perry Farrell's outrageous fiesta in the heart of Chicago. It'd just be rude to leave before the host has had a chance to entertain, right? But at the end of a scorching hot day, the night before another work week was to begin, energy at the fest was notably lacking. The crowd surged into place, but there was restlessness in the air. Perry Farrell had already announced that a helicopter trick was planned, so the weight of expectation was on the shoulders of Jane's Addiction. But wait a minute - why was another band still playing moments before Jane's Addiction was scheduled to begin?
As Lou Waits for His Man, Band of Horses Waits for Him
Blame it on the former frontman of The Velvet Underground. Lou Reed's set was prolonged by about 15 minutes. His fans enjoyed "Waiting For My Man" while the band on the stage across the way, the critically acclaimed Band of Horses, waited anxiously. This left them with two choices - either play a truncated set, or play over their allotted time. They chose the latter, which reportedly delighted fans of Band of Horses. It angered fans of Jane's Addiction, and effectively ruined the opening of their set.
A helicopter swooped low over the crowd as Perry, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins blasted into "Mountain Song," one of the most iconic hard rock anthems of the Nineties... but the cacophony of sound echoing from the Playstation stage killed the majesty of the moment. Band of Horses continued to play for at least four songs into Jane's Addiction's set. It's anyone's guess if they'll be invited to perform at Lollapalooza in the future.
Sexy, Sexy, Sexy
The men of Jane's Addiction have gotta be in their mid-forties by now, but they have preserved their sexy. Perry Farrell is a rock god. Strutting the illuminated stage in a gold lam'e tuxedo jacket with tails (but no shirt) he remains as lithe and mouthy as he was in the Nothing's Shocking era. Dave Navarro lost much of his rocker mystique during the Carmen Electra reality show days, but shirtless and shredding on stage he oozed sleazy LA rocker sex appeal. Accompanied by two sultry, scantily clad dancers with Marie Antoinette hairdos, the band proceeded to show Lollapalooza what their grand vision was all about. This, kids, is how you put on a show.
Delivering the Goods
Those concerned about the band deviating toward new material didn't have to worry. Perry knows what the fans are jonesing for. He served up Nothing's Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual jams. "Been Caught Stealing," "Ocean Size," "Ted, Just Admit It/Nothing's Shocking" - all left diehard fans enthralled. The band closed it out with the crowd pleasing "Stop!" and then brought out yet another surprise as Aerosmith's lead guitarist Joe Perry joined the band on stage for "Jane Says." And just like that, it was over. Lollapalooza was behind us in a beautiful blur. One can only imagine what next year will bring.
- ◀ Music & Culture
-
- Share This
-
