Jane’s Addiction were one of the most unusual bands of the 1990s – although they were lumped into the alt-grunge scene of the decade, they eschewed the sludgy riffs and flannel aesthetic for a melange of 80s metal, funk, and Led Zeppelin bombast. Love them or hate them, they represented a LA-based reaction to the Seattle sound, and their first two albums were classics. After singer Perry Farrell bolted to the much tamer Porno for Pyros, it seemed like we’d seen the last of the band.
However, a reunion show in 2009 (the first with the entire original lineup) let diehards re-evaluate the band’s legacy, and if you couldn’t see them, the release of Live Voodoo on DVD and Blu-Ray will make you feel like you were there. Filmed on Halloween in New Orleans, the band slams through thirteen tracks with energy and drive – although the performance isn’t technically flawless, the atmosphere is stunning. Standout tracks include a fierce take on “Jane Says” and an epic “Ocean Size.” The Blu-Ray disk also boasts two bonus tracks, but they’re not shot in the crisp HD of the rest of the program.
