Photo Credit: Richard Giraldi

Considering Jane’s Addiction are from Los Angeles, their closing set at Chicago’s Lollapalooza 2009 was hardly a homecoming. Still, the band was in pure celebration mode with good reason. Not only has lead singer Perry Ferrell successfully created an extremely popular metropolitan summer music destination – this year marked the second straight complete sell out – but the original Jane’s lineup is back including powerhouse bassist Eric Avery.

On Sunday, August 9, Jane’s Addiction stormed the stage at 8:30 p.m. to perform what would be a curtain call for 75,000 plus in attendance for the third consecutive sold out day for Lollapalooza 2009. The band’s set began with a little controversy as Lou Reed, the previous performer on the same Budweiser stage where Jane’s were playing, went about 15 minutes over time. This caused Band of Horses to start and end their set late on the opposite side of Grant Park at the smaller Playstation stage.

If caught in the mid-section of the huge crowd when Jane’s started promptly at half past eight, then you were most likely treated to a garbled mix of high energy LA alt-rock and lush Seattle indie southern-rock. Not to mention the helicopter circling the field shining a search light on the audience, which was a supposed to be a powerful stunt for Jane’s set but didn’t seem to garner much attention from the crowd.

Still, Jane’s energy withstood any problems as the band ripped through a practically greatest hits set list. With bassist Avery back in the fold, the band didn’t even touch any material from their lackluster 2003 album “Strays” and instead focused on tracks from their classic albums such as 1988’s Nothing’s Shocking and 1991’s Ritual de lo Habitual.

One aspect that was prominent in Jane’s set that was missing in many other Lollapalooza performances over the weekend was theatrics. Jane’s had it all: Women dancers in body suits, a blue light up Chinese dragon in front of the crowd during “Ocean Size” and Perry Farrell’s mid-song chatter about women and booze. There are many bands in which it’s probably best to have the music do the talking, but Jane’s Addiction’s knack for showmanship really enhances their show. It’s over-the-top, yes, but so are their 15-minute epic rock journeys such as “Three Days” or “Ted Just Admit It/Nothing’s Shocking.”

Once again the generational divide was apparent at Jane’s Addiction. While middle aged men in Lollapalooza ‘94 T-Shirts were head banging and fist-pumping to the music, quite a few younger fans stood in an almost daze seemingly wondering, “Why did I chose this over The Killers?” It’s hard not to feel for them though. Many in attendance at Lollapalooza this year weren’t even born when during the original Lollapalooza era. A few songs – “Mountain Song,” “Stop” and “Jane Says” – did get an equal positive reaction out of everyone, however.

Guitarist Dave Navarro was one of the most impressive performers on the stage that evening. To this day he might be one of the most underrated guitar gods of our era. The man can rip it with the best of them, and he has a gift for playing riffs that perfectly weave in and out of rhythm and lead sections without missing a beat.

On the lower end, drummer Stephen Perkins’ is a machine. The band had to cancel their Australian tour a few weeks back after Perkins got an elbow infection. Farrell proclaimed that Perkins was playing the show against doctor’s orders. Not sure if this was really the case or just a chance to play to the Jane’s Addiction hype. But it didn’t matter in the end. Perkins could play and he did impeccably. The African-tinged, voodoo drum solo at the start of “Ted, Just Admit It/Nothing’s Shocking” was nearly jaw dropping.

At the start of the encore, the band brought out Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry to help them on “Jane Says.” It was a nice move albeit somewhat random. After the song was completed, Farrell thanked the crowd and plugged Chicago for the 2016 Olympics. Although touching, one can’t help but wonder why he’s plugging it now as the selection committee came months ago.

The show was a spectacle, but the music did most of the talking. Jane’s Addiction was one of the few headliners to use every minute of their set time. The thunderous drums, booming bass and snarling lead guitar was a perfect sonic ending to this new version of Lollapalooza that’s miles away from its old identity as an alt-rock showcase. Now the festival is seeming a cornucopia of today’s top and lesser known indie rock and pop acts. The next biggest challenge will see if Lollapalooza’s Austin-based booking company C3 can once again pull off a third consecutive sell out in 2010. While it may be a challenge, it’s definitely not a long shot.

Setlist: Up the Beach, Mountain Song, Ain’t No Right, Three Days, Whores, Been Caught Stealing, Then She Did, Ocean Size, Ted, Just Admit It/Nothing’s Shocking, Summertime Rolls, Stop!, Jane Says (w/ Joe Perry)