Jane’s Addiction – November 19th – Ogden Theatre

Estimated read time 5 min read

Jane's Addiction 11-14-0369Photos by Tim Dwenger

The Scene:  The Ogden marquee was lit up in glory Wednesday night when Jane’s Addiction brought various generations of Rock fans out to the relatively intimate room.  The venue filled up quickly with Gen X and Y’ers fiercely holding their ground in their chosen spot.   The 90’s had a plethora of alternative rock bands, many failing to stay relevant and continue touring but, with the arrival of one of the most popular, Perry Farrell devotees were out in force.  The crowd had lived through the days of flannel and Nirvana and were ready for a flashback.

Opener: In the Whale. Denver duo In the Whale throws Rock in your face with ferocious passion.  With Nate Valdez on guitar and vocals and Eric Riley on drums and vocals this is a high energy, drum smashing team that produced a recognizable Punk Rock sound that most everyone got into.  What a dream for any band to be asked by Jane’s Addiction to be the opening band for two tour stops, Denver and Las Vegas, and they did a hell of a job getting the crowd amped for the main event.

Formed in 2011 In The Whale has played with heavy hitters in the rock genre, including The Airborn Toxic Event, Reverend Horton Heat and Slash.  Some say Rock is dead but this pair would disagree.  Radiating contagious, energy they shared new songs like “Ride,” an adrenaline soaked hammer of a tune about riding motorcycles really fast.  The 2011 recorded “Shall not be Moved” could be a radio hit if it made its ways to the right hands.  With a Country Rock stigma, I jammed out to this one.  Overall the band delivered a solid performance and got the crowd engaged asking for soul claps and echoed shout outs.  I hope to see more from them as they now have additional credits of opening for one of the country’s most popular Alternative Rock bands.

Jane’s Addiction: The sold-out crowd proved that Jane’s Addiction is still at the forefront of Alternative music and in many regards the ring leaders of the genre.  Their Grunge Rock has stood the test of time and has gathered a cult following.  Started in 1985 by Perry Farrell, Jane’s Addiction gained steam through the late 80’s and 90’s with the likes of Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Alice in Chains. 

After a sound check that seemed to last forever, the lights went down and the rock royals sauntered on to the stage to to deliver their 1988 smash Nothing’s Shocking in it’s entirety.  Farrell, decked out in full leather, rattled our ears with “Up the Beach” and “Ocean Size” as Dave Navarro’s sludgy guitar and his own vocal distortion and effects filled the room.  Jane’s Addiction were the creators of Lollapalooza and they have been known to fill huge venues but this show was a trip back to the early days of the band; playing packed L.A. clubs and blowing speakers.

Their stage set up was the largest I’ve ever seen at the Ogden, placing a 3 level high light tower on each side, four lighting rigs above and additional rigging needed for the surprise ending.  Farrell had his own sound board mounted on stage which gave him the capability to alter the fuzz and feedback. It was loud.  It was raw. It was powerful.  “Ted Just Admit It” put Perry in a mood and it grooved just enough to slow down the grit while two scantily clad dancers wooed the crowd.  “Standing in the Shower” and “Summertime Rolls” marked the half way mark before Navarro lit up a cigarette in pure Rock star mode with his bare chest and tattoos on display as he shredded the opening riff of “Mountain Song.”   “Idiots Rule” was followed by an acoustic take on probably their most recognized song, “Jane Says,” before they wrapped up the set, and the performance of the album, with closing track “Pigs in Zen.”

The decibel level seemed to be turned up during the encore which came out of the gates raging with “Been Caught Stealing.”  The hit off their sophomore album was a crowd favorite and had everyone singing, “She walked right. Through the door. Walked right through the door.”   Farrell’s voice continued to be steady during “Just Because” and continued the rally into “Stop!”   The spectacle was topped off with Farrell’s continued story telling which gave details about him staying at a rich guy’s house in Aspen that had held sex parties, during which 2 female flesh hook suspension artists were lowed from the rafters.  Not for the faint of heart, the show turned into a sexual freak show for the finale.  The girls twisted and contorted to the bands final song “Whores.”  If you weren’t shocked by the mosh pits, Navarro’s howling guitar, or the overall vision that is Jane’s Addiction, the conclusion had to be the defining moment.

Energy: A+
Musicianship: A
Sound: A-
Stage Presence: A
Set/Light Show: B

Overall: A-

Trisha Buehrle

From Evergreen, CO currently lives in the highlands of Denver, CO. Found my passion for live music as a young child with my parents taking me to see concerts and live music early in life. First concert? Jimmy Buffett at Fiddlers Green! Received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Business Administration and minor is communications from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. Have worked in music publicity for over five years around Denver. Favorite bands and artists include; Talking Heads, Steely Dan, Widespread Panic, Jackie Green, George Clinton, Joe Bonamassa. Rock and Roll, funk, hip hop and jam are the types of music I will favor. Favorite local band; The Motet. Favorite things to do: concerts and live music, SUP on local lakes, yoga, camping and weekend adventures, dive bars with a good jukebox and dining al fresco on my deck with friends.

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