-- Orange County Register, October 4, 2011
Jane's Addiction: The Tour
From the beginning, Jane's Addiction has thrown the most unique parties in rock, mixing a fierce musicality with theatrical flair onstage. 2012 sees the band--who’ve always outrageously combined electricity, sex and danger--return in support of their acclaimed album THE GREAT ESCAPE ARTIST (Capitol Records), which features the now-buzzing-at-radio track “Underground.” Starting February 22, this special run of North American shows—called “Theatre of the Escapists”--will bring the band to intimate venues, most of which are classic theatres. The alternative rock pioneers--frontman Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins, along with Chris Chaney on bass—are poised to deliver an immersive theatrical experience as only they can. Tickets go on sale January 14, with a pre-sale set for 10:00 EST this Wednesday, January 11. There will be a special package on JanesAddiction.com where fans can pair up their presale ticket with a high-quality lithograph. The lithograph will be signed by the band and sold only at the JanesAddiction.com presale.
“We chose to play as many of the great theatres that we could find because we wanted to immerse the audience in a unique experience unlike any they have ever seen at a rock show,” says FARRELL. “Expect an orgy of musical and visual delights. We like orgies, and hope you do too.”
2011 was a milestone year for Jane's Addiction, marking the release of their first studio album in eight years, the Rich Costey-produced album, THE GREAT ESCAPE ARTIST. Spin, writing about one of the album’s tracks, noted that “frontman Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro both put in stunning performances...it sounds like a band re-vitalized” (August 3, 2011), while USA Today said the album finds “…core members Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins conjuring the feral drive and mystical haze of those early works with a fresh kick to the band's electro-rock meld (10/17/11).” The album features “Irresistible Force,” the transfixing Top Ten alternative rock hit that Rolling Stone called “an art metal freak show set on some distant planet” (August 3, 2011). Their new single, “Underground” is currently climbing the alternative and rock radio charts. It features some of NAVARRO’s best guitar work, according to the Wall Street Journal, which took note of the way he ”excels with terse fills long before he solos at the song's fade.” The publication added: “As always, Stephen Perkins proves to be one of rock's great drummers, and his interplay with Mr. Navarro, his high-school marching-band buddy, is one of the disc's savory treats” (October 11, 2011).
Also in 2011, Jane's Addiction headlined major events such as the Splendor in the Grass in Australia, the launch of Lollapalooza Chile, Gathering of the Vibes, and the iHeart Radio Festival in Las Vegas.
In June, Jane's Addiction were inducted into Guitar Center’s RockWalk by Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello. Morello made it clear that the alt-rock pioneers led the way: ” Nirvana often gets credit for being the first ‘alternative’ band to break through, the band that changed music and led rock out of the hair metal wilderness of the ‘80’s. That’s just not true. It was Jane’s Addiction.”
In August, at Lollapalooza’s 20th Anniversary in Chicago, in front of 80,000 fans, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters recounted the first time he saw Jane's Addiction in 1991 in Los Angeles: “…that day me and Kurt went down and we sat at the audience and we thought: ‘Oh my god, music is f%%%kin changing.’ There’s 20,000 people here. To see bands that are actually f%%%kin cool. WTF. How did that happen! So I’d like to thank Perry for changing music–thank you Perry…Well this one goes out to you Perry, cause if it weren’t for you, I swear to god, we wouldn’t f%%%kin be here right now. And when I say: ‘We.’ I mean: ‘F%%%kin We.’ Am I right! Am I Right!”
Onstage, Jane's Addiction hold nothing back. They “…reminded everyone there were rock gods to be prayed to, and then defied them with feverish grace,” noted Billboard (August 13, 2011—check date) of their NYC show at Terminal 5. Writing about their Los Angeles performance at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, ArtistDirect.com (October 5, 2011) said: “Jane's Addiction stood triumphant for the entire show. It was one of those magical gigs where every element simply worked. On stage, Jane's Addiction display the kind of mystique that's belonged to the likes of Led Zeppelin and few others. However, they're one of a kind.”
The cities for Jane's Addiction “Theatre of the Escapists” tour, with support act Black Box Revelation (www.blackboxrevelation.com), are as follows:
Saint Louis, MO
Detroit, MI
Columbus, OH
Toronto, ON
Rochester, NY
Albany, NY
Portland, ME
Long Island, NY
Wellmont, NJ
Waterbury, CT
Richmond, VA
Myrtle Beach, SC
Atlanta, GA
Tulsa, OK
Kansas City, MO
Minneapolis, MN
Grand Rapids, MI
Milwaukee, WI
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