[kj] Jane's Addiction Last Night at The Roxy

[TB]

I caught Jane's Addiction's free show at The Roxy in Hollywood last night via their website guest pass contest.

I have to say, overall the show was *really* good, excellent in some ways and perhaps better then the two reunion LA club shows (and
certainly better then the NIN/JA show I caught last Summer) I caught with original bassist Eric Avery just over a year ago.

My friend got there around 7pm and there was only about a dozen people who'd lined up in the JA.com line earlier in the day (he was
behind someone who'd been there since 2pm). I ran a little behind and got there just as the chick started going through the line
confirming the list of VIPs and handing out wristbands. About 8:15, they let us in and I guess let some if not most of the second
line of people who had shown up through the day and early evening hoping to get in. I have no idea how many of those walk-ups
actually got in but it looked like about another 200 people were lined up.

The vibe in the Roxy was excellent and the place seemed smaller than I remember it being (the last time I saw a show there was Sonic
Youth in the early 90's). About 9:15, a "performance group" which was basically a local Jim Rose type freak show type bunch from
Venice Beach of 4 guys, a couple chicks and the announcer did their little 20 minute shtick. One dude stick long needles through his
arm and cheek, one guy swallowed swords, some young guy contorted himself and the "Bearded Boy" or whatever the fuck he was called
basically did nothing. If you've seen the Jim Rose Circus and his act, this was the low rent version but a lot of people seemed to
enjoy it and they didn't overstay their welcome.

Just after 10pm, with a short introduction by the two mildly Gothy S/M dressed chicks from the Venice act who were then hoisted up
above the stage swinging on either side of the stage *from their skin* as Jane's came on and opened with a solid version of
"Whores." The whole effect worked extremely well although the sound mix was fairly muddy with Perry's vocals and Dave's guitar
buried in the mix for the first 3rd of the show. The audience was really vocal and the band clearly fed off the positive vibe. Up
through "Ain't No Right," I was really thinking the show was on the cusp of ranking right up there with the best Jane's shows I'd
ever seen. Then came "Ted Just Admit It" and Perry's odd looking wife Etty and another other chick came on and did a cheesy bump n'
grind while the band played.  About mid way through the song, it seemed the band lost the plot and it really kind of dissolved into
a sonic mess. The crowd ate it up and the rest of the set turned out very tight and nearly flawlessly performed. Three Days was
excellent and imo, the best song of the night.

The setlist was all culled from their first 3 studio albums from the 80's and early 90's. I was actually hoping for either a deep
cut (even something from the "Strays" album) or something new and in that respect, the night was a bit of a letdown. It was
basically a greatest hits set from the first 3 albums:

Whores
Had A Dad
Ain't No Right
Ted Just Admit It
Mountain Song
Been Caught Stealing
3 Days
Stop
Ocean Size
Jane Says
Chip Away

The atmosphere onstage was a lot more positive than *any* of the shows I caught with Eric last year. I didn't get the feeling this
was a divided camp with a lot of tension between the bass player and others onstage like it was with Avery in the band. Former Guns
n' Roses/Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagen may be working for a paycheck, but he genuinely looked like he was enjoying himself
and as the show moved along and the crowd kept the energy level high, it clearly encouraged and fueled the band in the right
direction.

Duff came off as much more confident and integrated with the band than any footage I've seen up 'til now. His playing was solid and
his presence easily puts him above recent replacement bassists they've had over the last decade. Booze and hard living has certainly
taken it's toll on his looks, he's pretty much in the Iggy Pop category nowadays.  He got a more reasonably sized bass drum for Chip
Away and didn't have the issues he had with that monster boom-boom drum at the festival show. IMO, Dave Navarro played better'n any
of the shows I've seen in the last couple years. Drummer Stephen Perkins is as always, 100% on the money. I have never seen Stephen
give less than an outstanding performance and tonight was no exception. As a frontman, Perry still has it. As a singer, he needs to
either find different ways to approach some of the classic tunes, work on his voice or move on to music that suits his current way
of singing. He's always had a weak, limited range which is even more limited these days and I really think he was purposely buried
in the mix until "Been Caught Stealing" when he seemed much more prominent and clear in the mix.

The only minor negatives was the fact it was a greatest/oldies hits set, Ted was a mess and the whole "Perry gets his wife onstage
any time he can" thing. She was up with the other chick for Ted, 3 Days and Chip Away doing the cheesiest stripper bump n' grind act
and when she was onstage, Perry would often get lost screwing around with her to the point it was distracting. During "Jane says,"
she was with the other chick behind the drum kit drinking wine and carrying on like a teenaged groupie. It works to a degree with
Three Days, but when it's a quarter of the songs on the set she's posing and gyrating onstage, it gets really pathetic.

That said, I think the band came off very well and they have a certain level of confidence and tightness that it's time to start
taking serious chances with the set going forward if they're going to be doing more club shows. I'm glad I caught tonight's show and
appreciate the fact the band made it not only easy to see them tonight, but that it was free.

BTW, during the short break before "Jane Says," I hit the restroom and I'm pretty certain I passed Trent Reznor who was dressed in
jeans and a plain tan t shirt.  Billy Duffy and Tom Morello were also in the audience.

First Song "Whores" and "Ain't No Right"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YtIMai2YfE

The last half of "Three Days"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwgnZGUOxhs

T.B.