Jane's Addiction at Times Square/Third Annual CBGB's Music & Film Festival

Perry Farrell

Perry Bernstein was born in Queens, New York, spent his grade-school years in Woodmere, Long Island, and in his teens moved with his family to Miami, Florida. His father was a jeweler; his mother was an artist who committed suicide when Perry was three. Following graduation from high school, Perry boarded a bus to Los Angeles, California, to live as a surfer. There, he lived in his car and made money working construction and waiting tables. He also became the vocalist for the post-punk band Psi Com until its demise in 1985. During this period, Bernstein chose the pseudonym Perry Farrell as a play on the word "peripheral" and formed Jane's Addiction. The new band was dubbed "Jane's Addiction" in honor of Farrell's housemate, Jane Bainter, who was the muse and inspiration for the band. Jane's Addiction became a leading force in 1990s alternative rock and released three albums  before breaking up in 1991. Beginning in 1997, Jane's Addiction has had several reunions with various line-ups. The band's most recent album is 2011's The Great Escape Artist. The alternative rock band again consists of its classic line-up of Perry Farrell (vocals), Dave Navarro (guitar), Stephen Perkins (drums) and Chris Chaney (bass).

Headlining a free outdoor concert as the closer of the Third Annual CBGB's Music & Film Festival , Jane's Addiction rocked harder than anything that ever hit Times Square, even Bon Jovi. As the familiar bass line started the opening song, "Up the Beach," Farrell came on stage wearing a three piece suit and fedora, and he spent more time playing up to the audience than singing. It was just as well, as his voice sounded strained. Navarro's guitar playing was monstrous, however, and shredded crisp and clear blasts on each song, but Farrell commanded much of the attention, even crowd surfing early in the set. In all, Jane's Addiction performed in succession nine of the 11 songs of the 1988 breakthrough Nothing's Shocking album. Particularly towards the end of the set, Farrell rambled about it being Friday (it was Sunday), spoke about Jewish observances ("we Jews love you!"), put on a yarmulke handed to him by a photographer in front of the stage, cursed the stock market and its followers, and spoke graphically and extensively about the band members' sexual appetites. Considering the festival was billed as family-friendly and a large amounts of tourists were walking past the stage as they traveled to and from Times Square destinations, the language Farrell used was altogether outrageous. For the final song, "Stop!," two lingerie-clad dancers hung over the stage, spinning around to show that they were swinging from two rods piercing their backs behind their shoulder blades. Farrell insisted on singing another song, "Three Days," but it was curfew and the sound was unplugged while he was speaking. Some 25 years after all this music was first performed live, today's Jane's Addiction concert was still shocking.

Visit Jane's Addiction at www.janesaddiction.com.