Live and Jane's Addiction Return to Michigan And a Conversation with Dave Navarro

LIVE, the popular quartet from Pennsylvania, was scheduled to begin their solo tour October 7th, but ended up staying on the road a little longer with the Jubilee Tour featuring Jane's Addiction.

Ed Kowalczk opened the Oct. 20th show at the Palace of Auburn Hills, with the 1994 hit Lightning Crashes from their sophomore album Throwing Copper. This mellow song proved to set the tone for the rest of the show. Chad Taylor (guitar), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass) and Chad Gracey (drums) all sat with Kowalczyk (vocals) on a dimly lit stage perched upon sofas and stools.

Kowalczyk's passion for the music seemed almost rehearsed as he sang I Alone and pulled at his now long locks. He did however manage to belt out a very poor rendition of rapper Eminem's song I Am (whatever you think I am). The last song was dedicated to the heroes of Sept. 11th, 2001. Overcome was not scheduled to be the first single released from their new CD V, but in the wake of the terrorist attacks has become a song of comfort for victims and fans of Live. Kowalczyk sang with the American flag draped over his shoulders and he seemed to convey to the audience the strength of our nation, but also the sorrow that is felt right now. A little more of this unstaged emotion would have been welcome throughout their whole performance.

Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins and new bassist Martyn LeNoble took the stage and once again became Jane's Addiction. The reunion show planned by Farrell, will donate one dollar from every ticket to the Jubilee Foundation, a non-profit organization that Farrell co-founded.

The show started and all eyes were on Farrell. He appeared on stage wearing an enormous flowing white skirt which later produced five female dancers from within. The dancers, whose costumes were made from a total of 3 inches of fabric, continued to be the main focus throughout the show.

Whether it was dancing on light boxes, swinging from a trapeze, or performing unlawful acts in public, the dancers were too distracting. Visually pleasing but mentally disturbing they marred the greatest Jane's Addiction hits. Everyone wanted to hear the music and enjoy the reunion of one of the most inventive bands that opened the door for many others.

Music should have been the main priority and not "sexy, sexy girls" in Farrell's words. Nonetheless, Jane Says was played with precision and fervor and the crowd roared with excitement.

The highlight of the show was when the band walked off stage and emerged on a small 10x10 stage placed in the middle of the floor. Surrounded by screaming fans that were inches away from them, finally Jane's Addiction started to just play. There were still dancers, but Farrell was interacting with the audience and talking about actors, athletes and musicians from Detroit.

At one point Bob Seger's Night Moves was played and everyone joined in. The band looked happy, like they forgot they were in front of thousands of people, and played like they were touring for the first time.

They returned to the front stage and the magic was gone. Everyone was thrilled to see Jane's Addiction together again, but a lot less of the "I'm already a famous musician" attitude was needed.

A CONVERSATION WITH DAVE NAVARRO

By Alan Sculley

Guitarist Dave Navarro joined forces with singer Perry Farrell and drummer Stephen Perkins as part of a much-anticipated reunion tour of his groundbreaking band Jane's Addiction.

Fans of the group undoubtedly hope that this tour will lead to bigger and better things, such as a new Jane's Addiction CD and a lasting reunion.

Navarro, though, isn't about to join in the speculation. In fact, during a recent interview, he showed considerable ambivalence about any future for Jane's Addiction.

"I have so much in front of me that wanting anything does me no service," he said. "I have all that I need and anything more is a blessing. We'll see where it goes. I have no idea."

Navarro isn't overstating his situation. Earlier this year, he released his first studio CD, "Trust No One," and has toured in support of that CD.

He also finished a book with New York Times music journalist Neil Strauss that serves as something of a companion to the solo CD. Called "Don't Try This At Home," the book documents -- with plenty of lurid details of rampant drug use and sexual escapades -- a year in the life for Navarro in 1998.

At that point, the guitarist had taken his first steps toward making a solo CD, even though his life had reached a low point. He was in the throes of a serious heroin addiction, was going through a messy breakup with a long-time girlfriend and faced an uncertain musical future following his departure from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Navarro, who has since gotten off drugs, has also recently worked as a model (he's appeared in advertising for the Gap and Calvin Klein), written columns for magazines such as Details, US, Bikini and Raygun and directed several short films and videos.

While all this activity has maintained Navarro's prominent profile on the rock scene, there's little doubt that his greatest impact so far came in Jane's Addiction.

Formed by Farrell and Navarro in 1986, Jane's Addiction recorded only two proper albums -- "Nothing's Shocking" in 1988 and "Ritual De Lo Habitual" in 1990 -- before Farrell disbanded the group saying he wanted Jane's Addiction to end while the band remained relevant and at a musical peak.

Even with that short history, Jane's Addiction had already made a major impact on the rock scene. With a provocative sound that blended punk energy, some Led Zeppelin-esque guitar work from Navarro and a strong element of art rock, the group became one of the first alternative rock bands to hit big at radio with the songs "Jane Says" (from "Nothing's Shocking") and "Been Caught Stealing" (from "Ritual De Lo Habitual").

The band's two CDs influenced a number of groups that would soon emerge as part of the grunge movement in the Pacific Northwest, and the success of Jane's Addiction at radio helped enable Nirvana to bring alternative rock squarely into the mainstream in 1991 with their CD, "Nevermind."

Aside from a brief reunion tour in 1997 (featuring Farrell, Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers replacing original bassist Avery in the lineup) and the release of an outtakes CD, "Kettle Whistle," that same year, Jane's Addiction have been absent from the scene for an entire decade.

Navarro, though, doesn't have much explanation for the group's enduring appeal.

"I have no idea because I am such an intricate part of that band that it's very difficult for me to feel the impact of something that I've been a part of. So the answers to why I don't have," Navarro said.

Navarro indicated he isn't averse to further projects with Jane's Addiction, but it was clear in this interview that he is more energized by the prospects of his solo career.

Because of his playing in Jane's Addiction and later in the Red Hot Chili Peppers (he recorded with the band on their 1995 CD, "One Hot Minute") -- many outsiders figured Navarro's debut solo CD, "Trust No One," would be a guitar hero worship fest.

Navarro, though, never envisioned his debut CD taking the expected path. In fact, he said he tried to approach the project with as open a canvass as possible.

"There was no conscious decision making between like what kind of record am I going to make. I just made what felt natural," Navarro said. "I've been playing guitar a lot of years, and I don't think I've mastered the instrument by any means. But certainly making a guitar heavy album wouldn't have been a challenge. And I certainly don't think I would have been able to grow as an individual and a musician if I just stuck to what I know. There's really no risk involved."

Instead, "Trust No One" turned out to be first and foremost a song-oriented CD.

In fact, tunes like "Mourning Son," "Hungry" and "Rexall" are concise rock tunes flavored by folky acoustic guitar textures and Navarro's effectively grainy and understated vocals.

A poppier, psychedelic strain in Navarro's sound emerges on "Sunny Day," while "Everything" has almost a spooky, industrial tone. In short, "Trust No One" doesn't sound remotely similar to Jane's Addiction or the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Navarro began work on the project in 1997, shortly before he had parted company with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. With no band project on the horizon, Navarro dove head first into the solo record and over time "Trust No One" became a vehicle Navarro used to come to terms with traumas and struggles that have marred and shaped his life.

The biggest tragedy occurred when Navarro at the age of 13, had his mother and aunt murdered by his mother's boyfriend. Navarro, now 34, had grown close to the boyfriend, and seeing someone he trusted commit such a terrible crime made it hard for Navarro to trust in his own relationships.

The pain that came with his mother's death also helped trigger what has been a recurring cycle of drug abuse and depression throughout Navarro's life.

It's little wonder, then, that fears of abandonment, betrayal and intimacy are frequent themes of the "Trust No One" CD.

The depths of Navarro's feelings are captured in songs like "Mourning Son," which looks back on his mother's murder, and "Rexall," where his bleak outlook is summed up in the world weary refrain "I've had enough of feeling sick."

Eventually some lyrical light emerges from Navarro's dark tunnel, and that is one of the key messages of the "Trust No One" CD.

Today, Navarro is drug free, musically recharged and enjoying living in the moment.

"That perspective has just made life a lot more comfortable," Navarro said. "I've been through some really great experiences and some really painful ones and ultimately I'm OK. So I've just come to realize that it does me no service to worry about stuff that has already happened and stuff that might happen."

"Sometimes I just have to concentrate on breathing and that's all I can do," Navarro said. "(And) as far as the music and the career goes, I'm just happy to be doing it and I think I'm truly able to enjoy the opportunity that I have."

"I might have taken it for granted before and seen it as something to complain about, rather than to embrace what I had."