THE REAL JANE'S ADDICTION IS BACK!

[Strider]

Forget those reunions with Flea and Chris Chaney, etc.

There is only ONE Jane's Addiction that matters...and that is the original

line-up of Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins and Eric Avery.

But for years, it seemed as if Eric would never make peace with Perry

and a true Jane's Addiction reunion would never occur.

Then, the stunning announcement earlier this year that Eric would join the

band for a gig at the NME Award show, in April, at the El Rey Theatre in Los

Angeles.

One show, and a fairly average one at that(Perry was not in good voice

and Dave seemed off, too)...plus the fact that it was an award show with

the usual complement of idiots in the crowd(Perez Hilton? Who invited that

troll?) left me underwhelmed.

And I put Jane's out of mind again.

Until I heard the glowing reports from friends who had seen the "secret show"

the original Jane's played at the La Cita bar October 23.

I had another concert to go to that night, so missed the Jane's show...but everyone

said it was way better than the NME gig back in April.

So when the news leaked earlier this week about Jane's playing the El Cid

restaurant November 20...and that tix would be available at the door for $9,

I was dead certain that no matter what, I was going to take the day off and

get there early enough to have a chance to get in.

El Cid is on Sunset Blvd. in the Silver Lake area...it's a great old Mexican

restaurant, with steps leading down from Sunset to the restauarant and patio

on the slope below the boulevard. There's a stage inside for mariachi shows and

they also host rock shows occasionally...my brother's band has played there...all

told it holds around 150-200 people.

My first surprise when I got there was that only a few people were in line;

somewhere around 20-30. Anyway, I added my name to the list they were

keeping to maintain some sort of order.

According to the reports, the band was going on at 11pm...which meant we

probably had quite a wait in store for us; luckily it wasn't as hot as it had been

earlier in the week.

We got to hear sound-check and see the band leave as gradually more and more

people joined the line until it started to number in the hundreds.

At last around 9:30-10pm, we started getting in...I don't know how many people

behind me made it, but I think around 75 to 100 people that were in line got

in; plus the usual guest list of family and friends.

And when the band hit the stage, it was almost like old times at the Scream

once again: Eric Avery really is the glue that holds this band together. Not

that flea isn't a good bass player, but he's not right for Jane's Addiction.

Like Led Zeppelin, the magic of Jane's Addiction was the chemistry and combustion

between the original four members.

And while last night's show had some technical glitches, the main thing was that

the INTENSITY, the POWER and the MYSTIQUE that was Jane's Addiction in the

80's was back!

Here is the set list from last night's show:

Whores

Trip Away

Standing in the Shower... Thinking

Mountain Song

Ain't No Right

No One's Leaving

Then She Did...

1%

Stop!

Had a Dad

Ocean Size

Chip Away

Word is more small shows to come, with a possible tour to follow; Hollywood

Palladium is supposedly talking with Jane's about a possible show before the

year is out.

HELL YEAH!

[Wolfman]

God, I hope they come to Philly or NYC. Seeing them live is one of the best concert experiences ever.

[kirchzep27]

I remember buying the first -jane's addiction album, nothings shocking. The reviews were like -ear candy and the usual led zep addiitives in reviews. It was a good record.

[Strider]

Thought I would post some choice clips from the El Cid show for your delight...

This was the very first song they did and one of my favourites of Jane's: Whores!

Some more clips from the El Cid show 11.20.08:

There's a box set coming out next April, which leads one to think that Jane's may be

on the Coachella bill next year, since the end of April is when Coachella usually happens.

I can't tell you how huge and influential Jane's Addiction was in Los Angeles when they

sprung from Perry Farrell's earlier band Psi Com in the mid-80's.

As part of the real underground rock/art scene, their shows were must-see for those in

the know; intoxicating, surreal, mind-altering affairs.

Let the tourists and the jocks have their stupid hair-metal scene, which was what the

Sunset Strip club scene was all about in those days.

The real musical action was taking place at clubs in the east Hollywood/downtown LA

areas...clubs like Power Tools, the Scream, Al's Bar, Anti-Club, Lhasa Club, Club Lingerie

and the legendary Raji's.

Bands like Dream Syndicate, Concrete Blond, 45 Grave, Mary's Danish, Fishbone,

Thelonious Monster, Red Hot Chili Peppers, would play and play in these sweaty

little clubs and build up their live chops.

But Jane's was the band head and shoulders above the rest...everyone knew it, even

the other bands themselves.

In fact, after Led Zeppelin's demise after Bonzo's death in 1980, it wasn't until I saw

Jane's for the first time in 1986, where I thought here was a band that came even close

to the strange musical alchemy that Zeppelin achieved; that weird mix of hard/soft,

light and shade, masculine/feminine...music that made you feel like you were on drugs

eevn when you weren't. Music of its time yet timeless as well. And sexy as hell, too!

I got laid after Jane's shows more than any other band's concerts...just as Led Zep

concerts always drew more women than other hard rock bands of their day, Jane's

Addiction had the best looking and most smart and interesting girls/women at their shows.

Most of the girls at the Guns n Roses, Motley Crue, etc. shows were of the wanna-be

stripper/porn star variety; all silicone and teased blonde hair.

At Jane's, you had artists, writers, creative types who also were hot in an authentic way

that was far more sexy than the bimbos at the hair-metal shows could ever hope

to be.

And Wolfman is right...a Jane's Addiction concert was explosive...it would leave

you transformed. And you never knew what Perry was going to do or say...even more

so than vintage David Lee Roth-era Van Halen, whose raps, truth be told, were more

scripted than people realize.

Anyway, I had no idea there was so many old clips of vintage Jane's on youtube...here

are some classic clips, back before Dave got his tattoos:

"Three Days" Milan, Italy 1990

"Ocean Size" Milan, Italy 1990

"Summertime Rolls" Milan, Italy 1990

"LA Medley:LA Woman/Lexicon Devil/Nausea" Hollywood Palladium 1990

"Jane Says" Milan, Italy 1990

And, just because it's so intense, especially the audience, another clip of Whores:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBwgyXxScoM&feature=related

[Wolfman]

Right on with your post. You had to see them in the day to know. My only disappointment in reading their biography is that most of them don't like Zeppelin...at all. To each their own.

[AMAZONIC]

Right on with your post. You had to see them in the day to know. My only disappointment in reading their biography is that most of them don't like Zeppelin...at all. To each their own.

Used to listen to a few songs from Jane's Addiction back in the '80s...Good band.

In regards to the above comment, see below....

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=OL0CyrFqU2Y

[Strider]

Well, I don't know what biography you read, but from the conversations I've had with

the band, it was really only Eric who had a distaste for classic rock like Led Zeppelin,

Rolling Stones, and Grateful Dead...Jane's covered all three bands back in the day...as

he was mostly into punk at the time.

But Perry and Dave have often stated a fondness for Zeppelin; Dave even said his two

main influences on guitar were Jimmy Page and Robert Smith of the Cure.