Jane’s Addiction by Chapman Baehler

Molding psych, funk and heavy metal into a fiery rock ‘n’ roll whole, Jane’s Addiction came roaring out of late-’80s Los Angeles and  helped define what alternative rock could be even before Nirvana got all the credit. Back on the road for an international tour, the original lineup of lead singer Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, bass guitarist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins is together for the first time since 2010.

Jane’s Addiction emerged from a ragtag scene that rejected the spandex and power ballad pageant of the ’80s, and forged a look and sound all their own: Farrell’s flamboyance and androgynous caterwaul, Navarro’s fierce, hooky guitar work, and a cannonade of a rhythm section in Avery and Perkins.

With 1988’s Nothing’s Shocking and 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual, Jane’s Addiction went on a roll that looked unstoppable. From the thundering “Mountain Song” and the plaintive “Jane Says” to the punchy “Been Caught Stealing” and the vertiginous “Stop!,” each new single’s opening riff seemed more instantly iconic than the last.

But recurring tensions between Farrell and Avery over matters creative and not triggered a break-up that also begat a cultural phenomenon — the Farrell-founded Lollapalooza tour, which began as the band’s long wave goodbye. Jane’s Addiction returned to album-making with a 2003’s Strays, minus Avery but with a solidly hard-rocking core still intact (although 2011’s The Great Escape Artist made less of a comeback splash).

Now that Farrell and Avery have (again) reconciled for reunion-tour purposes, fans can see them in their founding glory and wonder if they’ll ever make another album together. A video from the band’s 2024 Pinkpop festival set in the Netherlands — about a month into the new tour — shows them getting along pretty damned well. Farrell, looking almost ethereal, has lost some upper register but is still capable of soaring rock-star wails. Perkins rumbles behind the kit, Avery slowly dances a circle on stage, and Navarro plays with wild yet clean strokes. You can almost feel Gen-X fans rejoicing through the screen.

Jane’s Addiction with special guest Love and Rockets play 8pm Saturday, August 31 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. janesaddiction.com ~ Olivia Feldman