Concert Review: Jane's Addiction (Red Hat Amphitheater)

BY CHRIS HOCKER

On August 3rdk Jane's Addiction, Love and Rockets, and Liverpudlian band Crawlers performed at Raleigh's Red Hat Amphitheater. While it wasn't the Tour Of The Summer like Green Day, Rancid, and The Linda Lindas, it was a pretty damn close second.

I'll be perfectly honest--I had never heard of Crawlers prior to Tuesday evening. But they quickly won me over with their awesome songs and energetic stage presence, particularly that of singer Holly Minto, who was twisting and turning and stretching throughout the thirty-minute set.

Love and Rockets were phenomenal. Daniel Ash sounded and played great and rhythm section David J (bass) and Daniel Haskins (drums) were equally awesome. They played their cover of The Temptations' "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)," "So Alive," and "Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)." They also performed three tracks from Earth-Sun-Moon, one of the greatest albums of the '80s: "The Light," "Mirror People," and, of course, "No New Tale To Tell." I was so happy to finally get a chance to see this band live.

What can I say about Jane's Addicition that hasn't already been written? One of the most legendary bands of the late '80s and early '90s, Jane's Addiction put out three superb albums in a prolific four-year span: 1987's live album Jane's Addiction, 1988's Nothing Shocking, and 1990's Ritual de lo Habitual. It's been a long ride since then, with members coming and going or the band stopping altogether. So when it was announced that this tour would have all four original members, fans flocked to buy tickets.

And it was worth it! The band sounds as incredible as ever. Guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery, and drummer Stephen Perkins are still beasts on their respective instruments. Perry Farrell's voice has lost a little of its punch, but he's still an awesome frontman. They perfomred five tracks from Ritual and four each from Jane's Addiction and Nothing's Shocking. I only wish they would've had time to sneak in a performance of "Classic Girl," one of my all-time favorite Jane's Addicition tracks.

If you have a chance to experience this tour, DO IT!

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CHRIS HOCKER, Editor

Strange Carolinas started as a hobby for Chris Hocker who often dragged his family to offbeat detours on family vacations. Hocker decided to start photographing and writing about these roadside attractions and in June 2014, launched Strange Carolinas with a story on Myrtle Beach's KISS Coffeehouse. In addition to chronicling over 400 attractions across the Carolinas, Strange Carolinas has also become an impressive music blog.