Mar 21 - Grand Rapids, MI at Devos Music Hall

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Leto
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Mar 21 - Grand Rapids, MI at Devos Music Hall

#1 Post by Leto » Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:37 am

review from
http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/gran ... syche.html

Perry Farrell held out his bottle of wine.

“Grand Rapids, huh?” he said, grinning at the DeVos Performance Hall crowd Wednesday night. “OK, let’s be friends.”

He took a big swig from the bottle, and his band, Jane’s Addiction, played “Jane Says,” the summery, strummed alt-generation anthem with the steel drums and refrains begging to be sung loud and long. The audience obliged in a kind of joyous rapture. Even Dave Navarro, the group’s guitarist with the aloof rock-star persona, could be seen mouthing the words.

Don’t for a moment believe that Jane’s in 2012 is just a Lollapanostalgia act, though. Sure, the classic cuts – “Been Caught Stealing,” “Classic Girl,” “Ain’t No Right” – carried the most weight for the crowd of Gen-Xers who remember how Jane’s burned hot and bright in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, helping define the decade of alt-rock that followed. But the band’s stage show, a mixture of well-orchestrated theatrics consisting of pseudo-burlesque dancers and a heavily strobe-lit Big Rock Show production, was fresh, exciting and unusual. The varied visual presentation made a newer cut such as “End to the Lies” (which, let’s face it, is a tough sell to a crowd wanting the familiar) more compelling.

Jane’s started slow, with laid-back new track “Underground” (from 2011 album “The Great Escape Artist”) followed by a somewhat slowed-down “Mountain Song,” its lethargic tempo pushing psychedelics to the forefront over Navarro’s driving riff. A few songs later, the group - filled out by drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Chris Chaney - hit its stride with “Ted, Just Admit It…”, best known as the “Sex is violent!” song, driven by Farrell’s reedy wails (which haven’t lost their power with age – the singer turns 53 next week), and backed by kinky, provocative bondage videos shown on three digital screens.

Farrell was typically eccentric, and wildly entertaining, between songs. He introduced “Ted” by urging the crowd to “reach inside their pants and give themselves some love.” He goofed with the front row, stealing hats and sunglasses and wearing them. He indulged in non-sequitir monologues about cow-tipping and buying a Harley Davidson roadster. He said, “I’ve been hit in the head so many times, man,” and it’s tempting to believe it.

The end of the main set was musically exceptional – a 12-minute foray into the shimmering “Three Days,” followed by a blistering rendition of “Stop.” The pair of songs illustrated the hard-edged eclecticism that the band does so well, both of them punctuated with Navarro’s heroic and fluid guitar solos. The show was a reminder that many imitators have tried to mimic the distinctively sexual sound and energy of Jane’s Addiction, but few have been able to capture lightning in a bottle like this band did – and continues to do.

LIVE REVIEW

Jane's Addiction

3 1/2 out of 4 stars

When and where: Wednesday night at DeVos Performance Hall

Highlight: A 12-minute version of the swirling, psychedelic “Three Days” was followed by the jagged riffs and breakneck tempo of “Stop” – a fine showcase of both of the band’s primary strengths.

Attendance: 1,800

Set time: 90 minutes

Hokahey
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Re: Mar 21 - Grand Rapids, MI at Devos Music Hall

#2 Post by Hokahey » Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:33 am

Highlight: A 12-minute version of the swirling, psychedelic “Three Days” was followed by the jagged riffs and breakneck tempo of “Stop” – a fine showcase of both of the band’s primary strengths.
That was definitely the hilite of my show as well. Great segway.

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