Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo

Captured live at the 2009 Voodoo Festival on Halloween night in New Orleans, Jane's Addiction hits the stage with their original lineup: lead singer Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery, and drummer Stephen Perkins. Performing a 13-song set in approximately 75 minutes, the group draws from 1988's Nothing's Shocking and 1990's Ritual de lo Habitual, switching between energetic rock hits such as “Mountain Song,” “Been Caught Stealing” and “Stop!”, and less-effective 10-minute slow-burn renditions of “Three Days,” “Then She Did…”, and “Ted, Just Admit It” (an ode to serial killer Ted Bundy). Dracula-style-cape-clad Farrell—with his distinctive high-pitched voice and aggressive heterosexual stance (a pair of scantily-clad female twins, obviously echoing the cover of Nothing's Shocking, suggestively dance with the singer on “Three Days”)—keeps the show moving, whirling around the stage during numbers while pausing to swig from a bottle of red wine, and occasionally buddying up to the shirtless, tatted, and chiseled Navarro. The lowlight of the evening is definitely Farrell's awkward expression of sympathy for the beleaguered people of New Orleans—which only serves as a half-assed introduction to the rocker “Ocean Size.” But the closing is strong, as the band performs their acoustic signature tune, “Jane Says” (with members of the costumed audience coming up onstage), followed by a nice bit of tribal-like drumming as Perkins, Avery, and Navarro all pound the skins while Farrell chants “Chip Away.” DVD/Blu-ray extras include two bonus performances, a brief featurette on the band, a photo gallery, and a booklet with an essay by former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is recommended, although mostly for diehard fans. (R. Pitman)