Last night I saw Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction. All I can say is WOW!
For background purposes, I'll say that Jane's Addiction is one of my favorite bands of all time. At one time, I could play every one of their songs. Eric Avery has been a lifetime inspiration for me and one of the reasons I started playing bass in the first place. I think his melodic, tight basslines are perfect for this band- simple, in the pocket with tasty fills, always providing the solid low end while still standing out. While JA have reformed twice since his departure with awesome bassists (Flea and Chris Chaney), I honestly don't think they were as good for Jane's as Eric- I mean, he wrote all their original stuff, for crying out loud. There's been a lot of tension that has kept him from rejoining them...until now. Seeing them play last night was something I honestly thought I'd never see. Let me tell you- they didn't disappoint.
Nine Inch Nails opened for them, who I've seen before, and always puts on a great show, and last night was no exception. In fact, since it's Reznor's last tour with NIN (probably), they seemed to sound the best I've heard them play. Robin Finck on guitar, Justin Meldal-Johnson on bass....just sounded awesome.
But the real treat was Jane's. My expectation was so high, and they certainly didn't disappoint. Watching them made me feel like a teenager again, which was great for a few hours
. They played everything off Ritual (except Classic Girl) and Nothing Shocking (except Idiot's Rule) as well as "Whores". Everything I wanted to hear, and they played it with such intensity that people were even headbanging to "Summertime Rolls". And, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Perry Ferrell- live, with these guys, he's just about the best front man alive (Freddy Mercury would probably be the only person who could top him, frankly).
So, obviously I recommend this show to anyone, but particularly to those of you who feel like me about Eric and Jane's Addiction. I know you're out there, so let's hear from you!
