[kj] (OT) Jane's Addiction at Echoplex in LA Last Night

[ketracelwhite at hotmail.com]

Thanks for the report!

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "The Mighty TB" <planetary at socal.rr.com>
To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)" 
<gathering at misera.net>
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 11:18 AM
Subject: [kj] (OT) Jane's Addiction at Echoplex in LA Last Night



> Jane's Addiction, reunited with original bass player Eric Avery has been 

> doing a few low key warm-up bar and club shows in LA the past few months 

> before they go out on tour with Nine Inch Nails in late Spring.  I caught 

> last night's show at the Echoplex club which was their third appearance 

> together since all four members began working together again.

>

> It turned out to be an excellent if short show, mostly better than the 

> tiny El Cid bar show #2 which I caught last December.  Only things I think 

> El Cid was marginally better was being a tiny club, much more intense 

> energy from the crowd that show.  I think Perry sounded better there as 

> well.

>

> It had been raining really hard much of the day in Southern California and 

> I was really on the fence about going or not right up to about 6pm.  I 

> went for it and got to the Echoplex (in Echo Park)  around 8:15 and a huge 

> line of 200 - 300 people was winding along the building and it quickly 

> because obvious some people didn't have or even know about the RSVP thing. 

> Light rain had just stopped and it was cool but at least dry. The line 

> started moving as they left small groups of about 10 - 15 people in at a 

> time to get their ID checked for a wristband, then get their ID checked 

> against a list at the door from the website registration rsvps.  Saw a 

> couple people turned away in front of me but later saw them inside so its 

> possible they had enough room for people who basically walked up to see 

> the show after the majority of RSVP'ers got in.  Considering my own 

> feelings this method of getting people in the show could have turned into 

> a real mess, it seems like it turned out to be well run with few problems.

>

> My first time at Echoplex.  Kind of a weird room, the mixing desk kinda 

> bisects the club in half so if your in the back, you gotta stand on some 

> boxes to get a decent view.  Pretty laid back, almost too mellow of a 

> crowd especially for the opening band "Dot," which was kind of a more 

> ambient, dissonant noise version of Secret Machines.  Band shows some 

> promise, but the singer was hardly audible, partly because he rarely 

> projected himself but moreso because the vocals were mixed way too far 

> down (same for Perry during Jane's set). They got a decent response from 

> the crowd, more respect than actual adoration.  Frankly, I thought they 

> were boring.

>

> There was a long wait, made somewhat manageable by the selections whoever 

> was DJ'ing played a good amount of Killing Joke ("Change"), Bauhaus, 

> Cramps ("New Kind Of Kick" got a huge response), Bowie and a few other 

> favs on the PA.

>

> About 11:15, Jane's strolled on the stage and ground into Up The Beach. I 

> think it was played half a step down and a bit slower. Eric had more room 

> to prowl and stomp tonight so he'd either be doing his tribal stomp to 

> songs like Mountain Song or Ocean Size or locked into his zone often 

> staring up at the ceiling playing Pigs in Zen.  Tonight, Dave was more on 

> the mark most of the show that the 2nd show, Perkins was simply 100% a 

> precision human piledriver.  The man is simply an incredible drummer. 

> Perry unfortunately I have to say was the weak link.  Not a lot of power 

> in his voice, didn't really make a lot of use of his little echo toolbox 

> and took a lot longer than the rest of the band to loosen up as the set 

> progressed.  I will say when they got to Been Caught Stealing, he was up 

> with the rest of the band and loosened up enough to bullshit and introduce 

> most of the remaining songs.

>

> I do think in a lot of ways this reunion, especially how Perry carries 

> himself these days reminds me of the recent David Lee Roth/Van Halen 

> reunion in the way both frontmen have dropped the more manic, physical 

> aspect of their stage persona due to age and are more like Vegas car 

> dealers doing their shtick for the rubes.  At times, Perry was genuinely 

> funny but when he used forced, awkward analogies to introduce each of the 

> last few songs, it got hackneyed.

>

> Most of the songs from a performance standpoint sounded excellent. 

> Mountain Song is played by Dave a bit differently now, a bit more RAWK! 

> like someone like Billy Duffy would play the tune. The band was very tight 

> with one major exception. The only song I thought kinda missed the mark 

> was the one I was most excited to hear, Ted, which lacked an "edge" it's 

> had in the past and never really got out of third gear and came close to 

> falling apart the last couple minutes as the band kind of careened a bit 

> out of time with each other.

>

> But I'll tell you what, "Stop" was fucking perfect.  Clearly the best 

> performed song of the set and got great audience participation.  "Had a 

> Dad" and "Ocean Size" ended the 2 song encore and the short barely hour 

> long set was done.

>

>>From a crowd standpoint, the asshole factor was low but there were a few

> lobcocks who'd careen around like big, sweaty, smelly dreidels.  One 

> grinning drunk slob who looked like Seth Rogan got hoisted up for some 

> crowd surfing and got maybe 5 feet before being dumped on the ground like 

> a sack of shit.  He later wound up getting on the stage on Erics side and 

> then flopped off the stage like a beached whale.

>

> All n' all though, a great night even if it was too short and I *really* 

> wanted to hear "Three Days."

>

> Setlist:

>

> Up The Beach

> Trip Away (on the setlist but not played)

> Whores

> 1%

> Ain't No Right

> Mountain Song

> Been Caught Stealing

> Ted Just Admit It.

> Stop!

> (encore)

> Had a Dad

> Ocean Size

>

> T.B.

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