janesaddiction.org

I was on my way to Del Taco today listening to a Porno for Pyros concert and was fascinated by how brilliant Perry was or is!! I know the concert was from 1996 what is that 16 years? I was surprised and excited when Dave said they had dusted off a few songs in rehearsal. Then when I saw that they played two of my favorite songs Classic Girl and I Would for You I was happy thats they finally changed that same monotonous setlist. Then as time has proven they disappoint when they play the exact shit two days later in Detroit!! Why cant they play Trip Away, One Percent, Summertime Rolls, Idiots Rule, Kettle Whistle, Suffersome, Rock and Roll and so on..... On my way back from Del Taco I was thinking how theres only two Jane's Addiction, with Eric and post Eric. None of that Jane' 1.0-4.0! When Flea played with Jane's they played Eric's songs he played with his fingers and not a pick, they recorded one new song being So What and three old Eric songs Kettle Whistle, Maceo, and Slow Divers. Then when they played with Martyn who is one of my favorite musicians I was fucking excited I saw them at Coachella with both Flea and Martyn. When they announced that they were recording some new songs, I was like finally. When Martyn got replaced by Chaney I didnt care as long I got to hear the new songs. When I saw them play in Riverside CA. and they played two new songs, a snippet of Blood Rag, and Sparks I was so turned on to them my only complaint was that the set was about 65 minutes long. When Strays came out I listened to it religiously and agreed that it was missing a key component but I loved it I thought it was great effort for a band that hadnt released shit in over then years besides what what on Kettle Whistle. I didnt know who Bob Ezrin was but I thought he did a great job right until I heard the Hypersonic demos with Martyn and realized that the madness that was missing from Strays was because Ezrin fucked it up! I like the Great Escape Artist, a good effort. I saw them with Duff and they played Soulmate which I thought was mediocre at best but atleast they surprised me with some new shit! But they played their asses off. I guess what Im trying to say is that I love this band greatly and have introduced their lovely songs to many ex girlfriends I am ready to give up on this band and no longer support them nor will I buy anything with their name on it. I hate it when people talk shit about Perry the corporate gigs they play etc..but I finally see it and I am disappointed that both Dave and Perk wont say shit about the impaired vision they had for Jane's. I thought Sonny's interview was interesting but to me it showed Eric as a bitter person! The other three have never talked shit about Eric other than he wasnt ready to commit to the band which is kinda true because wrting music is not always easy and Eric didnt think it was worth his precious time. I think The Great Escape Artist couldve been epic but Eric decided to bitch out! Eric's new project Giraffe Tongue sounds cool but it wont get release and there wont be a demand for it or a tour. Erics tweet about Janes not being as good anymore sounds bitter! I want to thank Xiola.org and JanesAddiction.org for the exciting news over the years!! I want to thank Martyn for atleast trying to convince Ezrin that he was taking the magic out of Jane's. Thank you very much!!

Interesting read, and I have a few thoughts to share.

While the setlists for Detroit and Columbus were essentially the same, I don't mind because it was a great show. A few things you gotta remember about sets. First, while I am sure the guys remember their catalog, they practice the hell out of stuff before playing it live - they want to put on a good performance, not sloppily spit out loads of songs. They DO have some extra songs they're still polishing up to bring into the live performance. Next, like it or not, a few songs are staples of the band's setlist. Not all of the band's fans obsessively follow and cullate their happenings on the internet like we do, and most don't see multiple shows over the course of a tour. A JA show without Jane Says, BCS, Stop and Mountain Song would be a disappointment to a lot of fans. Maybe not their hardcore internet following, but just watch the overall crowd reaction and it is clear MOST Jane's Addiction fans LOVE hearing those tunes.

Now, as for the shows themselves, they were fucking fantastic. Detroit had some issues with the sound being a overblown/distorted at times, but the band played their asses off and put on a great show each night. Their set is long than it was in pervious years, and I definitely think ending with Ocean Size is the way to go. Words Right Out of My Mouth is a great tune, but not quite the night cap that Ocean Size is.

Bottom line, I look at it this way. I had fun. You can always find things to critique and say "well, maybe if they played this song instead of that, or played a little long, or blah blah blah..." and if that is what you want to do, fine. I had fun, and if I could, I'd see every single show, even if it is the same 15 songs every single night. Take the experience in, and enjoy it.