Jane's Addiction - Trip Away 11/25/88

Note – with the advent of the digital age: data can be endlessly copied without generational loss, and freely traded via database sites, “blanks and postage”, torrent sites et al, the bootleg is hardly the domain of the shady audiojunkie these days. Readily available if one knows where to look, the fearless rock iguana believes it is worth reviewing performances that, while in the grey area, should be, must be heard by fans of the band/artist.

It all begins with a dreamy “Oh Yeah” from the mike in Perry Farrell’s hand, in a few seconds the band slides into the song "Kettle Whistle," a song that while a staple of certain tours, would not show up on an official Jane’s release until 1997. Jane’s Addiction – Trip Away live at the Cabaret Metro, Chicago 11/25/88 was captured by a legendary taper, and sounds better than some of the soundboards from the same era. Best, it captures Jane’s, the legendary incendiary foursome that helped to made rock dangerous again, on a cohesive night.

"Obvious" flows organically from Perkins tribal drumming, and the band rides the beat through the whole song. It sounds so much more organic, while technically not that different, from the version of Ritual de lo Habitual. "Whores" puts us front and center with Perry, even as it is led by Eric Avery’s great bass, as he sings "Way down low where the streets are littered, I find my fun with the freaks and the niggers." Should we make more of it, Perry starts the song with the exhortation, “Take me home!” As Dave Navarro launches into an early solo, you might find yourself wanting to move over to his side of the stage. His playing is solid and tasteful, his tone beautiful.

"Ted, Just Admit it," about serial killer Ted Bundy, has a trancy menace to it that equals the fury that was captured on the Nothings Shocking album. With Perkins drums high in the sound, "Standing in the shower… Thinking" and the amazing "Had A Dad" take on a more percussive and tribal feel. Dave’s guitar gets cranked up for the waves of power chords on the astonishing "Had A Dad" here. Its one of the highlights of the night in a night of great performances. Even Perry takes a backseat to the powerhouse drumming of Steven Perkins before pronouncing "God is Dead”. Only on the Bob Dylan/Bauhaus cover "Bobhause" would I have gone looking for another beer or two to spill.

"Ocean Size" has all the dynamics from the album opener but has a jazzier feel on the breakdowns in the middle, making hearing them a delight for someone who has heard the original a hundred times: now you can find something new in this version to pick. "I Would For You" has a quiet beauty even in a club, and certainly brings the crowd in for a collective lighter lift and group hug. Which is why it makes the crash of "Ocean Size" all the more like a one ton wall of water.

"Trip Away," never officially recorded, is tight and powerful, and even at the end of the show, you can imagine why sometimes the band would open with it. It carries the Jane’s blueprint: tight rhythm to open, and trancy middle that leads to a breakneck Navarro solo and Perry’s scat singing before careening back into the chorus. Followed up by the sledgehammer "Mountain Song" one can only imagine the patrons walking out of the club looking like they had been hit by the band of the century. In the post-Zeppelin universe, maybe they had.

Ending with the jam "Chip Away"as the encore, my copy of the show has demos for "Had A Dad" and "Pigs in Zen" that would have been pre-Nothing's Shocking recordings. Not as polished or as well recorded, they provide a great glimpse into what got them their Warner contract.

- the fearless rock iguana