“Ladies and gentlemen, I have to be honest with you, something’s wrong with my voice,” Perry Farrell humbly apologized to the Jane’s Addiction audience at the Rooftop at Pier 17. This was about 40 minutes into what was scheduled to be an 85-minute performance. “I’d like to try one more song.”
Indeed, Farrell’s singing was hoarse from the first note of his performance, as he struggled to hit unreachable notes. The problem was bigger than the stilted vocal range, however. Farrell had already forgotten many lyrics and mumbled incoherent rants that mystified his listeners. Despite the disturbing obstacles and his veiled hint of ending the concert early, Farrell soldiered on for another 40 minutes, at times with more guttural moans than lyrics.
After reuniting the original members for the first time in 14 years to perform an intimate show in London, Jane’s Addiction announced that it would co-headline a 2024 tour with Love and Rockets. Crawlers was later booked as the support act. The tour would include two nights at the Rooftop at Pier 17 on September 10 and 11.
Welcome to Jane’s Destruction.
The first night’s performance began with blue stage lights that were so dim that the audience could barely see the musicians. Vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins, and bassist Eric Avery took their positions on the stage and began with “Kettle Whistle.” Three talented musicians distanced themselves across the large stage yet worked well together. Farrell, at center stage, fiddled with one hand at a small electronic gadget. Farrell opened his mouth to start singing – and it was bad.
On the second song, “Whores,” Farrell sang off-key, muttered what might have been gibberish instead of lyrics, completely omitted the second verse, and aborted the song prematurely. The pattern remained similar for most every song until the 80-minute show concluded with a four-person percussion drill.
Navarro, Perkins, and Avery, seemingly ignoring Farrell, put on their best performance. First coming together as a band in 1985 in Los Angeles, California, the three played as tight as when they first pioneered the early 1990s alternative rock movement. Like Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, and Slash before him, Navarro schooled his unique guitar chops in rock bands along Hollywood’s Sunset Strip until his talent became recognized worldwide. On this less-than-stellar night for Jane’s Addiction, Navarro’s numerous extended guitar flights were exciting and imaginative. It only made sense for the audience to focus on and enjoy his distinct contributions rather than on Farrell’s failure.
Photo by Everynight Charley
Earlier in the evening, Love and Rockets performed a 60-minute set that specialized in dark, haunting grooves. The British trio, which formed in 1985 and has split and reformed several times, has not recorded new work since 1998, so the set drew entirely from old songs. Vocalist/guitarist Daniel Ash, bassist David J, and drummer Kevin Haskins played mostly mellow songs, however engaging, and did not charge with force until the last few songs.
As the evening’s opening set, Crawlers’ lead vocalist, Holly Minto, emoted and thrashed across the stage singing soft grunge songs for a half hour. Guitarist Amy Woodall, bassist Liv May, and drummer Harry Breen were less animated than Minto, yet supported ably. The quartet, formed in 2018 in Liverpool, England, has a promising future, but could use more stirring arrangements on some songs.
Jane’s Addiction Setlist
- Kettle Whistle
- Whores
- Pigs in Zen
- Ain’t No Right
- Ted, Just Admit It…
- Summertime Rolls
- Jane Says
- Then She Did…
- Mountain Song
- Three Days
- Ocean Size
- Stop!
- Chip Away
Love and Rockets Setlist
- The Light
- Kundalini Express
- No Big Deal
- The Dog-End of a Day Gone By
- Haunted When the Minutes Drag
- No New Tale to Tell
- An American Dream
- So Alive
- Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today) (The Temptations cover)
- Mirror People
- Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)
Photo by Everynight Charley
