reCap :: Janes Addiction w/ Dinosaur Jr :: 2016.07.17
July 19 / Tuesday
Jane’s Addiction and Dinosaur Jr may have seemed like an unlikely pairing at first. At the end of the day however they were both instrumental in breaking alternative rock out of obscurity in the late 80s. Needless to say these bands joining forces created the ultimate bill for anyone who appreciates the true innovators of that time. Jane’s billed this particular tour as the ‘Sterling Spoon Anniversary’ of both the first Lollapalooza and their groundbreaking 1990 album ‘Ritual de lo Habitual.’ To mark the occasion fans were being treated to the album played cover to cover each night, bringing all Jane’s fans near The Capitol together for a once-in-a-lifetime show.
Despite not being the big name on the marquee for the night, Dinosaur Jr instantly reminded everyone that they were no opening act with J Mascis’s blazing guitar riffs, Lou Barlow’s pummeling bass and Murph’s frenzied drumming shaking the Capitol’s rafters. Fan favorites like ‘Feel the Pain’ and ‘Start Choppin’’ took center stage, but they were also able to work in the new song ‘Tiny’ off of their forthcoming 11th album ‘Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not.’ For a band celebrating their 30th anniversary with their original lineup, it was amazing how their new material sounded just as heavy and raw as their 20+ year-old classics.
Surrounded by three, that’s right THREE full Marshall amp stacks, Mascis looked and sounded just as much the mythical alt-guitar-god he was back in 1988. Every guitar solo he took was a sonic mountain leaving jaws on the floor and eardrums buzzing. Lou Barlow, who was celebrating his 50th birthday, didn’t look one day over 25 as he pranced around strumming power-chords on his bass and shaking his gargantuan mane of curls. After closing the set with their distortion-heavy take on The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’ you couldn’t deny this band’s staying power as one of the great alternative rock bands of our time.
While Dinosaur Jr represented the shaggy-haired, carefree attitude of the East Coast, Jane’s Addiction quickly countered it with an instant barrage of West Coast, L.A decadence. After the Spanish spoken word intro that starts off the ‘Ritual’ album, Jane’s burst through the gates with their opening number ‘Stop!’ complete with exotic dancers lining a giant elevated riser behind the band. Perry Farrell’s signature ethereal howl hadn’t lost any of its power, but it was easily equaled by the enthusiastic crowd’s voices. The floor of The Cap turned into a huge sing-along on songs like “Ain’t No Right” and “Been Caught Stealing,” with Farrell continually coming down to the barrier to hold his mic out to the 1,000+ backup vocalists.
Even though the hits got the biggest crowd reaction, it was the more experimental, deeper cuts off ‘Ritual’ that got the hardcore fans the most excited. The epic ten-minute ‘Three Days’ highlighted eastern-influenced guitar solos from Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins’ tribal drumming. The darker, more melodic second half of the ‘Ritual’ album provided the crowd with a breather from screaming along to every word to let them focus on the music and synchronized dances with each song. ‘Of Course’ featured a lone dancer wearing wire insect antennae and a white fur coat while the album closing ballad ‘Classic Girl’ saw Ferrell’s wife Etty Lau posing as a sculpture bust. As the last notes of the album rang out Ferrell addressed the crowd simply with “That was ‘Ritual de lo Habitual’ by Jane’s Addiction.”
If the ‘Ritual’ half of the show was like seeing a great work of art performed, the encore was definitely an after-party. As soon as Ferrell shouted “THREE FOUR!!” to count in ‘Ocean Size’ the whole room came alive with energy. The momentum only continued when bassist Chris Chaney started the unmistakable bass-line for the anthemic ‘Mountain Song.’ Stephen Perkins encouraged a circle pit from behind his drum kit and when the song’s classic riff kicked in the crowd obliged both in moshing and shouting every word. The band also had one last shock factor element up their sleeve during ‘Whores’ with two dancers suspended on bungee cables swinging across the rafters of the stage.
After all the craziness that had ensued onstage Ferrell showed some love to the fans by sharing some of his bottle of wine with the front row. He even pointed out a kid in a Nirvana shirt and jokingly asked him if he liked Jane’s Addiction too, to which the kid obviously said “yeah.” Ferrell then asked him if he thought he was crazy, to which he assured the kid “I am crazy…crazy like a fox.”
With the whole band seated with acoustic guitars and bongos they launched into one last joyous sing-along of ‘Jane Says.’ It’s mind-blowing to think that around the time that the song was written, Jane’s Addiction was making their first appearance at The Cap in 1987 when they opened for Love & Rockets. Since then they’ve cemented themselves as one of the instigators of the 90s rock boom and one of the most influential bands of the last 20 years. Even if Perry Ferrell is crazy like a fox, it was because of that craziness and the craziness of Dinosaur Jr that we got one of the greatest eras music has ever seen.
