Jane's Addiction Preview Tour At L.A. Theater

Jane's Addiction rocked the Grand Olympic Auditorium in downtown L.A. Thursday night.

For the preview to the upcoming "I-Itz M'My Party" tour, the unassuming crowd crammed into the small ballroom ready for the band's surprise antics since -- as everyone knows -- Jane's is one of the most inventive live acts of all time.

Anxiety and exhilaration swept through the building as pulsating lights bathed the multi-platformed stage. No smoke or mirrors were needed as the new version of Jane's Addiction -- featuring Dave Navarro (guitar), Stephen Perkins (drums), Flea (bass) and Perry Farrell (vocals) -- unveiled their new stage show. Wearing a cross between Vegas lounge and Kiss outfits without makeup, Jane's opened the night with "Ocean Size."

Moving into "Stop," Jane's was joined onstage by scantily clad women who gyrated on platforms above the band. Continuing with "Mountain Song," the dancers and Farrell slinked snakelike across the floor.

Farrell then climbed onto a platform away from the stage and broke into "Summertime Rolls" while slithering around his new perch. The band continued to wail from the main stage while the audience sang along. Afterwards, similar to a Lilliputian parade, the band strolled through the crowd on the floor carrying giant papier-mache flowers and shimmering lanterns while they moved to a platform set upbehind their fans. There they did semi-acoustic versions of "Jane Says," "Classic Girl" and the tribal "Chip Away."

The band returned to the main stage to wrap up the dress rehearsal with "Ted Just Admit It." Even though the crowd screamed for more, Jane's never reappeared for an encore.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
• 
  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter