Perry Farrell. ALL PHOTOS BY ANGELA HUCKEBY
Jane's Addiction.
Jane's Addiction.
Dave Navarro.
Dave Navarro.
Perry Farrell.
By Jennifer Chancellor
World Scene Writer
The crowd nearly overwhelmed alt-rock powerhouse
Jane's Addiction Thursday night at its sold-out show at
The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.
The Los Angeles band that's known for its nearly 30 years of explosive highs and rumbling, rollicking, sensuality-laden tours held its fans at near-riotous ecstasy with a generous dose of hits and a bump of tunes from its latest studio album, "The Great Escape Artist."
The "Theatre of the Escapists" tour was less about Vegas-style, Cirque du Soleil showmanship and more about the freaks inside of us -- the fringe, the broken, the hopeful, the rebellious.
The set roster included rarities and straight-up rockers: a tribal bent, three-drum, hammering rendition of the early Jane's tune "Chip Away;" an eerie ode to serial killer Ted Bundy, "Ted, Just Admit It;" and the audience nearly overtook "Mountain Song," screaming lyrics louder than Farrell could belt them out. That was OK by him, though. He grinned ear-to-ear and rode the wave. He shimmied across the stage, high-fiving hands along the way.
Farrell also writhed on the floor, his trademark high vocals completely in check as the crowd rushed to him, their fists pumping. Pin-up girls teased in looping videos. Farrell leered from the stage. Dancers gyrated in lace beside him as he slapped and shook upreached hands at every opportunity, all night long.
"All this talent comes from ... an effed up childhood! But that's ok. We can be twisted. Trees are twisted!" Farrell said to the crowd as it pushed still closer before he launched into "Twisted Tales."
Frontman Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Chris Chaney and drummer Stephen Perkins recreated their tunes in the space they occupied Thursday night -- a whole, unique sound that reflected the in-the-moment energy of their fans.
Jane's Addiction is the same band it's always been, but it's
not the same band I saw in Oklahoma City back in 1992. Yeah, Navarro
still does the "my-shirt-comes-off-by-the-third-song" thing, primping between cigarettes and guitar solos. In fact, I've carried that early image of him with me as sort of a "This is Spinal Tap" cliche ever since. Other rock stars can't pull that off without looking like, well, hilarious parodies. (Has anyone else seen the half-naked group shot of Hinder that's floating around the interwebs? Case in point. Ew.)
Annnyway. Seriously. The band wouldn't be around today if it hadn't solidified, matured and progressed into a bulletproof band. Jane's certainly wouldn't be touring to support a critically-acclaimed new album. Sure, it could survive as a "living tribute" to its olden days, doing covers of its own music in a band filled with strangers and fronted by Farrell. Easily. But let there be no confusion: Jane's Addiction is as current today as it was as a breakout act nearly three decades ago. Within the power core of Farrell, Navarro and Perkins lies its secret to longevity.
Energy escalated through their set with "Underground," "Been Caught Stealing," "Ain't No Right," "I Would for You," "Three Days," "Jane Says," "Stop!," "Words Right Out of My Mouth," "Standing in the Shower ... Thinking" and more.
"You've been watching us and we've been watching you for more than 25 years," Farrell said. "You know who we are and where we're from. ... Jannnnneee's Addiction from Lossss Angelessss!"
After Thursday night's blowout, those who didn't know will not forget.
Black Box Revelation, a Belgian garage duo of drummer Dries Van Dijck and guitar-singer Jan Paternoster wowed the crowd with its grinding, howling, '60s guitar distortion and '70s era kick drum and tunes including "Shadowman," "Love Licks," "Bitter," "High on a Wire" and "I Think I Like You."
Startling intricacies pulsed within the pair's deceptively straightforward presentation. They're often compared to the Black Keys, but they're more like the Kinks. Sorta. You know, if the Kinks wrote darkened melodies blended with swaggering blues riffs, then added ambient noise and punch-to-the-face drums. Look for a full-length studio album release from these guys this summer.
