the setlist...
Porpoise Head
Meija
Porno For Pyros
Good God's://Urge!
Tahitian Moon
Pets
Thick of it All
Hard Charger
dogs rule the night
Mountain Song
I Would For You


This is from Kerrang mag in March 1997.

PORNO FOR PYROS
Roseland, New York
Friday, February 28
4/5

While Perry Farrell never ceases to amaze, at times his stubbornness is disappointing. "This is a very special occasion for my friend and I," he says, as David Navarro eases into Jane's Addiction's "I Would For You", a song that eventually becomes the encore to a meagre 55-minute show.
A Jane's Addiction reunion? Hardly. What started as one of the most hyped events in recent months ended with just two Jane's numbers, both of which come at the very end. Opening with "Porpoise Head" and a bottle of red wine, Farrell emphasises that this is a Porno For Pyros show, and just because former colleague Navarro and Chili Peppers bassist Flea are joining the freak show, he won't be forced into playing anything he doesn't want to.
But regardless of whether or not Farrell wants this "special occasion" to turn into a reunion, it does-and he doesn't even realise it. Dressed in the same garb he used to wear around the time of "Nothing's Shocking," he bobs his head like an epileptic chicken. The two painted, bare-breasted women that flank the stage bring back memories of the past that even the plethora of Porno shirts in the pit can't erase.
Four songs in and Navarro still hasn't shown his face. The anticipation is building and Flea is playing like a trouper, a this-is-actually-still-fun look on his face that has been absent lately with the Chili Peppers. Farrell and his strobe-lit dancers slip into "Good God's Urge" and the crowd erupts.
And then he finally appears. "Dave Navarro's in the house," croons Farrell, as the six-stringer dumps his cheesy Chili Peppers guitar hero moves and charges into an upbeat version of Porno's "Thick Of It All." Oh so close to Jane's Addiction, but still not quite there. The band pound their way through "Hard Charger" from the Howard Stern movie soundtrack, and "Dogs Rule The Night", and the atmosphere is close to bursting.
"We're not the most professional band in the world, but we sure are the most fuckin' fun," yells Farrell as he sprinkles wine over the crowd, before the band leap feet first into Jane's classic "Mountain Song" and "I Would For You." The Roseland explodes. And then they're gone.
It might not have been everything that was promised, but tonight, for 20 all-too-brief minutes, the legend lived once more.
MOST ROCKING MOMENT: The performance of Jane's Addiction's "Mountain Song."
LEAST ROCKING MOMENT: The fact that the show was not a full Jane's reunion.
BEST ONSTAGE QUOTE: "This is a very special occasion.." Perry Farrell introduces Dave Navarro.
VERDICT: One to tell the grandchildren.
Tony Romando.

(thanks to Gaby for sending this in)


From Rolling Stone--

PORNO FOR PYROS

Jane lives. Well, sort of. Perry Farrell's Porno for Pyros flirted with the shadow of Jane's Addiction Friday at a sold-out New York show that capped a week of high-profile activity that included a Grammy-night appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman" and a short set at the Manhattan premiere of Howard Stern's "Private Parts."

And while Porno for Pyros is certainly popular, many in the Roseland crowd were there to see the three-quarter Jane's Addiction reunion of Farrell, drummer Stephen Perkins, and guitarist Dave Navarro that ripped through a thunderous "Mountain Song" and almost stole the show at "Sternstock" the previous night.

Dressed in a red robe and tropical skirt that made him look like an ideal spokesman for Chaquita, Farrell began the show by pouring wine on the crowd during the vivid drone of "Porpoise Head" and "Meija." Joined by Perkins, guitarist Pete DiStefano, and Flea on bass -- as well as a Russian clarinetist and two exotic dancers -- Farrell gleefully introduced the temporary supergroup. "We know you, and we are Porno for Pyros," he said, before warning, "Hey, it gets even better."

"Anybody got a dead relative?" Farrell asked the audience before launching into "Good God's Urge," on which Flea duplicated the driving bottom groove of former stand-in bassist Mike Watt. Like a boxer who knows how far to carry an opponent before delivering the knockout, Farrell initially ignored audience cries for Jane's songs. But when Dave Navarro appeared onstage halfway through the evening, the concert began to build toward a satisfying crescendo.

After DiStefano and Navarro stirred up the Pink Floyd-style guitar swirl of "Thick of It All," the band kicked into the dual-speed ditty "Hard Charger," Pyros' Jane's-style contribution to the "Private Parts" soundtrack. The carnivalesque atmosphere then hit its climax when the Pyros launched into "Mountain Song," as topless dancers in gray body paint pranced around the stage in orgiastic fervor.

For the encore, Farrell returned with Navarro for a heartfelt acoustic version of "I Would For You" from Jane's eponymous indie-label debut. Serving as a possible reply from Farrell about his change of heart about his former band, the stripped-down rendition was a pleasant surprise.

All too quickly, though, the show was over. The Pornos' 11-song set clocked in at under an hour, and judging from the outcry that greeted the houselights, the intoxicating fix wasn't quite enough. Still, despite the ever-changing plans of Farrell's Pyromaniacs, the concert was a hopeful sign of things to come.


From MTV online---

Porno For Pyros Shows Shades Of Jane's Addiction

March 3 [18:00 EST] -- Perry Farrell and Porno For Pyros finally did what people had been talking about and hoping for for weeks... they teamed with Red Hot Chili Pepper Dave Navarro to bring what could be called a partially reformed Jane's Addiction to the stage in New York City last week.

Former Jane's/current Porno frontman Farrell melded his two projects into one unit featuring ex-Jane's/current Chili Pepper guitarist Navarro, ex-Jane's/current Porno drummer Stephen Perkins, Porno guitarist Peter DiStefano, and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. With Farrell, Navarro, and Perkins representing three-fourths of Jane's Addiction (which featured Eric Avery on bass), the shows marked the first time the seminal alt-rock band played together publicly in six years.

The augmented Porno line-up made its debut on "The Late Show With David Letterman" of all places on Wednesday night, and then turned in a set at the typically over-the-top Howard Stern movie premiere at Madison Square Garden. The group, none too surprisingly, worked through "Hard Charger", their contribution to the "Private Parts" soundtrack, but soon blew away all expectations by blasting out the Jane's Addiction classic "Mountain Song" making for a brief, yet memorable, two-song set.

Jane's fans were still talking about the Stern premiere performance when Porno For Pyros took the stage at New York's Roseland Friday night, again with the Navarro/Flea-augmented line-up. The group worked through a relatively short set that saw them pump new energy into the Porno For Pyros' catalog, but there was no sign of the days of Jane's Addiction. Finally, near the end of the set, the group trotted out "Mountain Song," which was greeted by elated shrieks from the crowd. To close the evening, Farrell and Navarro took the stage alone and offered up the mournful acoustic Jane's track "I Would For You."

The moment displayed a rare quality in this age of manicured hype and manufactured buzz: it was sincere.


From Livewire July '97....
Livewire Live: Porno for Pyros at Roseland by Jack Lisa
"This is going to be it," a guy told me as I stood in line, waiting to be admitted into the dark auditorium know as Roseland. "This is the beginning of the return of Jane's Addiction."
Hmmm. I guess anything's possible, but it doesn't exactly add up.
The night before this concert, Porno for Pyros had performed outside Madison Square Garden as part of the celebration for the premiere of Howard Stern's long awaited Private Parts. Of course they performed their new song "Hardcharger," from the motion picture soundtrack, but they also performed another song. A little ditty that fans hadn't seen performed live in quite some time. As soon as Chili Pepper Flea began to play the bass line, a momentary hush fell over the crowd.
"Comin' down the mountain...!"
Guitar sonics ripped through the air as Perry continued to wail what is perhaps the most recognizable song from the now-defunct Jane's Addiction. Now the crowd began to sing in unison, completely taken by surprise. I was getting into it myself when my friend pointed something out to me.
"Hey, look, it's Dave Navarro!"
That was the last song in the performance and in moments the band left the stage, only to be interviewed by television reporters. Perry Farrell could be seen on television that night, making it clear that Porno for Pyros was here to stay. He seemed pretty determined to make that clear, but still I wondered. Who was that band up there? Perry Farrell, Stephen Perkins, Dave Navarro,...and Flea? And with them performing an actual Jane's Addiction song--what could we call them? Jane's Addiction to Pornographic Pyro Peppers?
So anyway, as I finally made it into Roseland, I tried not to take the guy's comments too seriously. There was no reason to get my hopes up. After all, this wasn't the first time Navarro and Flea had worked with Farrell under the Pyros name, and it didn't really mean anything. And hell, Jane's was great, but Porno for Pyros...well, their records were just as good. Sort of. No matter, I said to myself. Let's just see what happens.
Pyros opened up with "Porpoise Head," the first track off their second and latest LP, Good God's Urge. The track served as a perfect weapon for Farrell, a hushed melodic way to seduce the audience with his hypnotic voice and serpentine performance. The guitar work by Peter DiStefano filled the venue like an electric lullaby, and Flea played its simple rhythm with uncharacteristic restraint. As an audience we were caught. We were in Farrell's world instantly. As smoke spread across the audience, all one could see was the exotic electric belly dancer, cavorting around the stage with two spotlights on her breasts, the light reflecting off Perkin's crashing symbols and Farrell's pale frame.
For the next few songs, Farrell and the boys offered up a few upbeat tracks from their first release. "Meija" was certainly a crowd favorite, which is incidentally the song Pyros performed on their infamous Larry Sanders Show appearance. In addition to a tightly driven band, Farrell was also backed up on vocals by the lovely Cindy and Akisha. He didn't exactly need the help, but the added cushion gave more of a crunch to "Porno for Pyros," a song about Perry's masturbation habits on the night of the L.A. riots, and something of an anthem for the band.
Flea more than filled in for Mike Watt, the original bassist, on the upbeat "Good Gods://Urge!" and the band quickly shifted gears to "Tahitian Moon," perhaps the most ethereal moment of the evening. Swaying under the spotlight over the mass of fans in his exotic red garb and headgear, a red jewel shimmering on his forehead, Farrell seemed literally lost at sea. After kidding briefly about Howard Stern being a reincarnation of a dead rabbi, the band performed their radio hit "Pets" to brighten things up a bit. As Perry sang about how we'd make great pets for Martians, a few of the throng choose to shoulder ride. You wonder if they get it, but hey, what the hell. Time to ponder the absurdity of our existence later. At this point they performed most of my favorites, and I figured things might just get monotonous.
Enter Dave Navarro.
Performing a version of "Thick of it All" which made the recorded version sound like a weak fart, Porno for Pyros took us to a whole different level. Though Navarro's guitar was initially inaudible, and he was rescued by Peter "Miracle Man" DiStefano (named after his recent recovery from cancer), Dave's mere presence put Farrell in pure banshee mode: "You were born, so you get another chance! A chance to die and get off this planet in the thick of it all! Thick of it all!!"
From here on out, the band didn't come down until the very last song. After cranking out a crowd shaking rendition of the new track "Hardcharger," followed by "Dogs rule the Night," which gave Stephen Perkins a chance to shine, Porno for Pyros finally took a short break.
"Is it over?" I wondered. And then, from the darkness of the stage, came that familiar bass line again.
"COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN...!"
Playing what may be their greatest collaborative moment, after a whole night of fantastic, more recent material, Farrell and Navarro reminded everyone of how it used to be. These guys belong together. No disrespect to Peter DiStefano or Mike Watt or to either of the Porno for Pyros LP's...but come on already! The audience seemed on the verge of explosion by the end of "Mountain Song," and collectively, we wondered what was coming next. Soon there was no one on stage but Farrell and Navarro, who held an acoustic guitar.
The two men embraced and Farrell tells us: "This is a special occasion."
From the very first Jane's Addiction album, the two floored the crowd with their seldom-performed love song, "I Would For You." It's not exactly the kind of song a rock band would end the night with, but hey, it's not like we were gonna complain. Still, walking away from it all, I had to wonder what Perry meant by "special occasion." Was that guy waiting on line with me correct? Are Jane's Addiction getting back together?
"I would for you." What would you do, Perry? Would you end this madness and reform the band that we all want to hear?
Hey, people say I'm dreamer, but I'm not the only one.


Thanks to Wendi for sending in the above article.


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