Jane's Addiction & Courtney Love and Tall Paul, DJ Icey & Judge Jules

At times, life weaves its magical course. I wanted to see Juana's Addiction play a homecoming show at the infamous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, but could not afford the tickets. Exploring all options, a friend of mine named Jane turned me on to a contest at the Synthesis website to win free tickets to the concert and astonishingly, among several hundred entrants, she was chosen as the winner. Life had now presented me with a surprise pair of tickets and the opportunity to go with a real life Jane to see Jane's. I find myself addicted to the wonderful surprises in life.
Here we go. I first saw Jane's Addiction back in 1988 when Nothing's Shocking had exploded on to the alternative music scene, fusing neo-metal guitar and pompous art rock - whatever that's supposed to connotate. The question at that point in time: was this a cash cow tolling the bell or was there a statement to be made? Perhaps a statement reiterated in the present day and age as Jane's seminal utterance that Nothing's Shocking was indeed tested, and the result was clear, a series of acts of unspeakable horror can, indeed, still shock the collective world consciousness.
In true Hollywood form, we arrived fashionably late, missing the Stereo MCs and a good portion of Courtney Love's first ever show billed as a solo artist. Ms. Love was screeching her way through "Live Through This," the title track to her '94 major label debut, as we made our way to our seats. Now, I've been a fan of hers since the early Hole days, as she always seemed to me to be a punk rock version of Madonna and love her or hate her, she's secured her place in music history. Mind you, it was impressive to see her on the extravagant stage of the Hollywood Bowl, a long way from her days on a different stage, that of Jumbo's Clown Room, one of the finest "hot" spots in Hollywood on a Monday night. But she used to embody anarchy on stage, torpedoing the unsuspecting with visceral venom and you couldn't help but cheer her on, hoping she went kicking and screaming, crooked crown and all, to the top of the rock.
Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Possibly seduced by the glitz, she immersed herself within the movie side of the biz and seemed to be far too concerned with her newfound glamorous reflection. This notion was capped by an appearance at the Academy Awards as an elegant Courtney Love was unveiled…did my eyes deceive me?
Ever since then, she still knows how to spew and spat as evidenced by her recent internet rants and lawsuits, but she's the kindler, gentler, richer Courtney who will soon be starring in a biopic about Janis Joplin. So on this night in L.A., she did her Janis Joplin posturing, upping her rock star credo, but only after she went out sauntering into the crowd, espousing her polished radio fodder (a.k.a. "Malibu") and had a procession of fans trolling behind her like a conga line. It became apparent that she's so busy trying to be "Courtney Love" that she's now shrouded in ironic mockery. What happened to the fireball that stage dove with a dress on, had it torn off, got back on stage and still kicked the shit out of her guitar, roaring like a true riot grrl? On her return to the musical stage on this night, Love's new presumed anarchy was to refuse to leave until she was forcibly carried off. Not a move of rebellion, but a calculated penchant to steal the spotlight, which ultimately stole Jane's allotted time for an encore.
But what Love could never steal is the heart and soul of a girl named Jane and her renowned Addiction. On top of this being a homecoming for original members Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins, it was a Saturday night and Halloween was being observed so, in addition to the usual sort, there was the added element of costumes - my favorites being the girl dressed up like the decomposing lady of the lake, and the vampire who kept falling into the urinal as he tried to balance himself in a laughable bout of drunkenness. This same curiosity about costumes parleyed questions poised to the masters of ceremony. Whereas this could have been a tired night of what once was, with the mighty Jane's Addiction donning a well-worn mask, they stepped up to the hype and proved that they are still quite addicted, just not Addicted to Love.
Come on, hum along with me, along with TV. Opening with "Kettle Whistle," singer Farrell stood center stage with a massive, flowing white parachute / skirt that eventually filled with air and, when five semi-naked girls appeared from beneath it, the "ritual de lo habitual" had commenced. Hat to toe in red, Perry asked "Do you want it?" The band launched into "Ocean Size" and away we went for a 90-minute ride filled with classic Jane's, augmented by a circus of G-string clad women dancing on stage as well as in and high above the crowd amidst the spot-lit trees. In reminiscent fashion, Perry dazzled the crowd with his jittery movements and his effervescent dialogue as many shout-outs were given to L.A. and his "homies." He also addressed, in an indirect way, the events of the year as it was finally time "we" got off our ass, that L.A. was a melting pot much like New York and that we'll remain strong.
In actuality, the ramblings were somewhat curtailed as the music remained the evening's focal point and highlight. And the lights shone brightly. From the epic "Three Days" to "Summertime Rolls" to the now cherished mini set out in the audience with staples "Jane Says" and "Classic Girl" to a surprise appearance from Porno For Pyros' guitarist Peter DiStefano (who had just completed a triathlon earlier in the day) on a version of the PFP track "Pets," the evening gained momentum, and when the band rounded out the show with blistering renditions of "Mountain Song" and "Ted, Just Admit It," the crowd yearned for another fix. But, as previously mentioned, curfew had hit and the encore had been stolen. Courtney Love's antics had "Been Caught Stealing."
At this time, I was also ready to steal - that is, steal away the night as the Jubilee was far from over. Off I went to hear a bevy of world-class DJs including Tall Paul, DJ Icey and Judge Jules mixing as a part of the GIANT Haunted Hotel at the Park Plaza. Arriving at 1 AM, I was alarmed to find out that the club had reached capacity and that I might have trouble getting inside because of the pesky fire code rule. So, a big thank you to Johnny Jos and Alden for escorting me, not only through the front door and through every line imaginable (as the DJ rooms were also at capacity) but also through layers of security and literally onto the stage right behind Tall Paul and his booming decks. Often considered one of the UK's foremost progressive house DJs, Tall Paul was also making a triumphant return to Los Angeles as he had recently been recorded at Giant (just released on Moonshine Music). To celebrate, Moonshine was hosting the event as a CD release party and it went off mad. Want to imagine my little slice of heaven on earth? Picture a fool dancing like a red bull laced white boy, jacked between Snow White and Cinderella amidst a fierce propulsion of pumping beats, knocking tracks like Basement Jaxx "Where's Your Head At" and X-Press 2 "Smoke Machine" as hard as house can hit. From my unique perch, I could witness the crowd working itself into a sweaty frenzy and just when you thought the room would explode with rhythmic joy, humongous blasts of nitrogen would shower the body pool with liquid cool. Sound enticing? Just push play and this cycle repeated itself again and again and just when three hours of ecstasy seemed like it couldn't get any better, every raver's dream came true…Daylight Savings Time…which meant extra elapsed time to tell an even taller tale of jubilee.
- Robert Evanoff

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