Comanding Attention!

Filter mag have posted their review of Jane's Addiction's SXSW set...

South By Southwest is usually all about being discovered; in many ways I saw a discovery of my own, in the form of Jane’s Addiction. Playboy and C3 gave the lucky audience a show for the ages as well as some eye candy with past and present Playboy Playmates strutting and mingling with the crowd. With the Sixth street area of downtown Austin saturated with capacity venues hosting some of music’s elite or soon to be elite, the scene for me shifted to an old abandoned supermarket where the most exclusive party of SXSW was being held.

With an opening set by up-and-comer Kenan Bell, the special invite-only audience began to settle in. Then came Bassnectar whose bass-thumping dj set sparked the energy from the crowd. who was waiting in anticipation of the not-so-secret headliner. The party itself had no revealed the headliner, but the buzz all week was that it was Jane’s Addiction that was going to perform.

After nearly a seventeen-year absence, Jane’s Addiction took to the stage as if it were circa 1990 Los Angeles all over again. Lead singer Perry Farrell commanded the stage as he strutted and danced, while Dave Navarro nailed all his familiar solos. Reunited bassist Eric Avery gave us that his signature bass line while Stephen Perkins blasted through his usual drum sound. Only a few in the business past and present have the persona to command the stage like Farrell (Jagger, Morrison, Bono to name a few). Sitting within hands reach of the stage it was an experience I will never forget. Jane’s Addiction will be touring with Nine Inch Nails as part of the NIN/JA tour this Summer.

Setlist:
3 Days
Ain’t No Right
Whores
Shower
Ted
Stealing
Hadadad
Mountain
Ocean Size
Stop