Photos by Steve Thrasher / YouTube Theater
In an alternative dimension, you could reverse this bill with Bauhaus at the top and Porno for Pyros propping them up. But the mutual respect between the various members of Jane's Addiciton and Love & Rockets is clear--they performed together back in the day, and they're touring in 2024 to both recall those heady days and march forward into the future. It's a healthy blend of nostalgia and fresh-thinking, and that makes for a potent show.
Before both of them, Liverpool's The Crawlers impressed the YouTube Theater crowd with a delicate, intense set of goth-esque rock with Siouxsie edges. Poetic and occasionally hair-raising, this is a band worth keeping your eye on.
Love & Rockets, or course, feature three quarters of Bauhaus, with Daniel Ash fronting. Bauhaus already called it a day recently, and L&R are apparently not far behind. Which is a shame, because they're still capable of explosive live performances like this one.
At the YouTube, they performed for an hour, "Kundalini Express" an early highlight. "An American Dream" seems hauntingly familiar in this political climate, while the cover of "Ball of Confusion" is glorious. David J seemed a bit annoyed by the sound levels at one point, but overall this was a triumphant showing.
Jane's Addiction were similarly fabulous. Perry Farrell spent much of his time between singing sipping on a bottle of wine, and the warmth that he got from it spilled all over the theater.
The man is the perfect frontman--charismatic, witty and clearly enjoying himself. The rest of the band was on top form too, and it was great to see Dave Navarro returning to his rightful place after missing a few gigs.
We get a greatest hits set, the likes of "Pigs in Zen" and "Whores" setting the tone early on. "Jane Says" offers us an acoustic moment, before "Mountain Song" rips it up again.
JA has always been more than an alternative rock & roll band-- spiritualism and alt-rock never sounded so good together. By the time they concluded with "Been Caught Stealing," we're reminded that the band is a national treasure.
