Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

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Leto
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Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#1 Post by Leto » Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:58 pm

review of the Cirque de Satan Soleil
(from http://www.democratandchronicle.com/art ... um=twitter)

Concert review: Jane's Addiction slowly comes to full boil

Ohhhh, so that’s what they mean by “immersive theatrical experience,” the language that Jane’s Addiction was using to describe its “Theatre of the Escapists” tour.

Wednesday night’s Auditorium Theatre show for 2,000 people who bought seats but didn’t use them at first appeared to be everything you’d expect of a 27-year-old band that proudly thinks of itself as the progenitors of alternative rock: A set dominated by two 20-foot-tall naked ladies unlimbering in front of a creepy barn backdrop. A band of degenerate farmers, maybe? No, no, the men of Jane’s Addiction are not farmers.

Opening with “Underground” from the on-again, off-again band’s most recent album, The Great Escape Artist, the Cirque de Satan Soleil night opened with two regulation-sized women being raised to the ceiling as their voluminous white dresses trailed from them like silk contrails. One of the women was Perry Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau, who for a few moments had the best seat in the house.

Fussing around the fringe of the stage as the women swung from the rafters was someone/something dressed in a bizarre black crow outfit. Or, maybe it was a real crow, and a big one. What all that was supposed to mean escapes even this master of metaphor.

A band from Brussels, The Black Box Revelation, set the tone nicely for the evening. A duo, drums and guitar, just like The Black Keys or The White Stripes, but feeling more like Blind Faith than the blues. It worked with this retro crowd, which before the show beered up while reminiscing about the last Jane’s Addiction show here, 1991 at the War Memorial.

The Black Box Revelation set the tone, but Jane’s Addiction didn’t really arrive until maybe 40 minutes after it showed up. But they had the right idea. Mystical and dark, old mixed with new. “Ted, Just Admit It…” the creepy story of serial killer Ted Bundy from the 1988 album Nothing’s Shocking, was paired with The Great Escape Artist’s “Twisted Tales.” It was theatrical, in a Dada kind of way, with plenty of doll abuse and video screens flickering with non sequitur images. And it was, frankly, rather slow and undistinguished rock and roll in the early going.

But the show, and sound, improved as the evening moved on, the machine-like thrum of a well-oiled band following a set that had Jane’s Addiction nicely re-positioned at the front edge of the stage, creating an intimate set of songs and an opportunity to show off monster drummer Stephen Perkins on a wide array of percussion. All of the crow costumes and weirdness was amusing, but for the final 40 minutes or so, Jane’s Addiction earned its rock-band paycheck.

After a quarter-century, are these guys showing their age? No, actually. The 44-year-old guitarist and reality-show dilettante Dave Navarro is a master of rock posturing, for the first three songs strutting around the stage in a black jacket with no shirt. Then the jacket was magically gone, confirming that this fellow does indeed work out.

And while Jane’s Addiction bassists have had the same lifespan as Spinal Tap drummers, Chris Chaney, who’s been with the band off and on through its many lives and resurrections, was not only steady, but produced some low-end, showoff rumbling that shook the crowd’s large intestines into a lather.

Lead singer Perry Farrell sounded as he should, with that high, keening kind of voice as he waved what appeared to be a bottle of wine like a sailor on shore leave. He was Skippy the kung fu yoga instructor. “I’ve got some advice for old people,” the 52-year-old Farrell advised. “You either keep (expletive deleted) dancing or die.”

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#2 Post by JOEinPHX » Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:09 pm

Leto wrote:review of the Cirque de Satan Soleil
(from http://www.democratandchronicle.com/art ... um=twitter)

“I’ve got some advice for old people,” the 52-year-old Farrell advised. “You either keep (expletive deleted) dancing or die.”
So what happens if you don't dance, but you just make dance music?

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Leto
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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#3 Post by Leto » Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:17 pm

Six7Six7 wrote:
Leto wrote:review of the Cirque de Satan Soleil
(from http://www.democratandchronicle.com/art ... um=twitter)

“I’ve got some advice for old people,” the 52-year-old Farrell advised. “You either keep (expletive deleted) dancing or die.”
So what happens if you don't dance, but you just make dance music?
Jazzercise. Just follow his dance moves, Skippy will show you the way.

"He was Skippy the kung fu yoga instructor" :lol:

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#4 Post by JOEinPHX » Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:19 pm

yeah... i just... :no:

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#5 Post by Japhy » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:55 am

Chip Away added last night? Good times if so... :yeay:

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#6 Post by Warped » Thu Mar 01, 2012 4:42 am

This is nonsense but really does Dave only have 1 so-called jacket and two or three trousers for the whole tour? He always wears the same. :blah:

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#7 Post by JOEinPHX » Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:47 am

Warped wrote:This is nonsense but really does Dave only have 1 so-called jacket and two or three trousers for the whole tour? He always wears the same. :blah:
I think that's the case for most bands. Alot of bands wear the same clothes onstage every night.

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#8 Post by creep » Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:52 am

Japhy wrote:Chip Away added last night? Good times if so... :yeay:
chip away replaced i would for you.

bad move

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#9 Post by Larry B. » Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:56 am

They didn't play the exact same setlist as the night before.

In that regard, good move.

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#10 Post by creep » Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:58 am

Larry B. wrote:They didn't play the exact same setlist as the night before.

In that regard, good move.
you wouldn't say that if they replaced it with superhero

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#11 Post by JOEinPHX » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:19 am

i can't wait till Dave gets home from tour and discusses the setlist choices on Dark Matter

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#12 Post by Hokahey » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:23 am

Chip Away? Dang. That's probably my favorite live Jane's song. I like it better as a closer though, and not replacing I Would for You. Still, pretty awesome.

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#13 Post by Larry B. » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:36 am

creep wrote:
Larry B. wrote:They didn't play the exact same setlist as the night before.

In that regard, good move.
you wouldn't say that if they replaced it with superhero
true... but you're not comparing Chip Away to Superhero... are you?

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#14 Post by thoreau » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:24 am

I agree with Hoka's point. Keep Chip Away, but make it the closer. Don't drop Would for You.

Although this might go over the official setlist quota per night.... :hehe:

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#15 Post by JOEinPHX » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:34 am

That's the only problem. They never really ever add, they just replace. It would be cool to have ALL the good songs in the setlist.

And it would make a lot of sense. :noclue:

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#16 Post by Japhy » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:43 pm

Six7Six7 wrote:That's the only problem. They never really ever add, they just replace. It would be cool to have ALL the good songs in the setlist.

And it would make a lot of sense. :noclue:
Nah, i don't want all the songs in the set all the time. I want it to be that i don't know what they'll play when i go see 'em... one night they play Obvious, but then i get that plus Chip. I go again the following week and both those have been dropped but i then get Of Course - the night before, turns out they played My Time. You know, it becomes luck of the draw... but it keeps it vibrant and gives you another reason to keep going when the tours roll around (other than just going cos it Jane's).

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#17 Post by blackula » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:05 pm

Japhy wrote:
Six7Six7 wrote:That's the only problem. They never really ever add, they just replace. It would be cool to have ALL the good songs in the setlist.

And it would make a lot of sense. :noclue:
Nah, i don't want all the songs in the set all the time. I want it to be that i don't know what they'll play when i go see 'em... one night they play Obvious, but then i get that plus Chip. I go again the following week and both those have been dropped but i then get Of Course - the night before, turns out they played My Time. You know, it becomes luck of the draw... but it keeps it vibrant and gives you another reason to keep going when the tours roll around (other than just going cos it Jane's).
yeah, i wouldn't want a set longer than an hour and a half anyway. too long, i'd get bored, i don't care who it is. i see them every time they come around anyway, i don't need a marathon set, just some diversity.

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#18 Post by JOEinPHX » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:15 pm

I guess i have just been spoiled by Pearl Jam.

I've never seen a show of theirs that wasn't an epic experience of guaranteed hits, bsides, fan favorites, covers, and all tied together nicely where they rock your face off, bring it down and make you cry, then bring the energy back up and send you on your way home after 2.5 hours of making your head and heart explode.

Maybe the effort is proportional to the payday. :noclue:

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#19 Post by Larry B. » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:31 pm

That's probably the reason why I'd go to as many FNM shows as I can, for the rest of my life (if there are any more.)

In 2009 I saw them twice in seven days, and the setlists had notorious differences (although the hits were there). And they had played a show 2 days before the first time I saw them (in Santiago, as well), with a completely different setlist.

In 2010, their show had plenty of surprises (they were closing the tour here.)

In 2011, they played King For a Day with Trey and closed with Absolute Zero, an absolute rarity.

They make it fun and challenging for themselves, which you can see when they perform, and fun for the fans, for the casual listener and the die-hard fanatic.

Oh, and let's not forget that most of these shows I've seen have been festivals... i.e., festivals don't necessarily mean a poor show. It all depends on the approach of the band.

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#20 Post by Japhy » Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:25 pm

Larry B. wrote:fun for the fans, for the casual listener and the die-hard fanatic.
That's the balance right there. I'm not saying it's easy (i'm not a musician for one, so what the hell do i know) but switch-ups from night to night, even little ones, has got to be a smart move. I'm liking the vibe of this tour so far but i guess the proof is in the pudding and i won't be seeing it for quite some time.

They drop in My Time, we're all going to be united in our love right?!

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#21 Post by JOEinPHX » Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:20 pm

Japhy wrote:
Larry B. wrote:fun for the fans, for the casual listener and the die-hard fanatic.
That's the balance right there. I'm not saying it's easy (i'm not a musician for one, so what the hell do i know) but switch-ups from night to night, even little ones, has got to be a smart move. I'm liking the vibe of this tour so far but i guess the proof is in the pudding and i won't be seeing it for quite some time.

They drop in My Time, we're all going to be united in our love right?!
Only if it's not at the expense of any of the other songs.

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Re: Feb 29 Auditorium Theater, Rochester NY

#22 Post by tubro » Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:29 pm

chip away is about as great as they get -- primal genius music -- but i'm extremely bummed to see it replace i would for you. obviously they're two very meaningful songs in the JA canon. but i've seen chip away many times and i would for you, which i think i've only seen twice since 91 was by far the treat of this year's setlist. like kettle whistle in 01.

they should leave it in. i agree with hoka that chip away is better as an encore anyway. (it would be pretty sweet as an opener too.) replace ocean size or one of the other old songs if they can't go to 15 songs without exploding. or play i would for you as the last encore.

i'm all for rotating an old tune and changing it up nightly. i think that's ultra cool. and i'm very positive on the setlist they've chosen for this tour. but please perry if you're reading this and (jane's reference quiz coming here.....) you know you read this..... you read it every day..... you read it every day i saw ya.... when i came over you were reading .....anyway......

please put i would for you in the set every night. thanks.


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