On paper, the two bands headlining the final night of Lollapalooza couldn’t be more different. Over the course of their initial four-year run, from 1987 to 1991, Jane’s Addiction pioneered a hazy California psychedelia, writing strange songs long on mysticism and foreboding, placing Perry Farrell’s ethereal screech atop Dave Navarro’s charging guitars.
The Killers, on the other hand, are all pomp and preen. They thieve giddily from ’80s new wave and the back catalog of Bruce Springsteen with equal relish, fusing those disparate sounds for create alarmingly effective pop songs. Sharing the same bill, they represented the past and future of modern rock — one generation putting emphasis on grinding guitars and strange imagery, the other favoring strong melodies, bleeding hearts and memorable choruses.
Photos from Lollapalooza ‘09: the ultimate live gallery.
Both bands have a thing for spectacle, though, and Lollapalooza’s final night was full of expert showmanship. Jane’s set began as the charging thrum of “Mountain Song” began and a helicopter swooped down across the crowd, shining a spotlight on the impatient assembly. When the white curtain concealing the stage finally dropped, it revealed Perry Farrell in a gold lame jacket with matching pants — a kind of alt-rock Neil Diamond ready to belt out an unending assortment of songs blue. A pair of dancers in 18th Century-style wigs cavorted near the rear of the stage, batting their lashes and getting playfully tangled up in one another.
But all of that was just stage dressing for the music, which has become surprisingly muscular in...
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily