Jane’s Addiction and Love and Rockets Join Forces Once Again for a Double-Billed Tour that Lands in Jacksonville

Two groups that kickstarted the alt-rock revolution perform in downtown Jacksonville this summer. Jane’s Addiction and openers Love and Rockets play at Daily’s Place on Tuesday, August 27. Both bands feature their original line-ups and both bring decades of post-new-wave, pre-grunge rock history with them. 

Formed in 1985, and featuring the instrumental backline of UK goth-rock demigods Bauhaus, the three-piece Love and Rockets found adoring fans on the strength of their blend of post-goth, neo-psychedelia, and proto-electronica music, helped in no part by MTV. Their 1987 single “No New Tale to Tell” hit number 18 on the US mainstream rock charts. In the past year, the band has vowed that this will be their last-ever tour, which in the world of rock music means they very well might tour again! 

Jane’s Addiction were formed in the same year as their tour cohorts, but 5500 miles away in the sunnier climes of Los Angeles. Named in honor of lead singer Perry Farrell’s housemate, who was also immortalized in the band’s song “Jane Says,” the band created a weird mix of metal, funk, psych and punk and soon found great success, including five Grammy Award nominations. While the band never cracked the Top 40 charts, they sold an impressive four million records, have been cited as a key influence by subsequent artists, and Ferrell went on to create the Lollapalooza touring juggernaut.  

JME’s older audience (you know you’re out there, we won’t tell, Grandpa Grunge) might have recalled an earlier double-bill with Love and Rockets and Jane’s Addiction. On November 21, 1987 both bands played at Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg. On that tour, Love and Rockets were the headliners and the lesser-known Jane’s Addiction opened the shows. Bathed in a cloud of fog-machine smoke, actual cigarette smoke, decked in all-black and eager to show their appreciation—Florida style—the crowd, keyed up by Jane’s Addiction’s performance, went ballistic during Love and Rockets’ set. Audience members began pulling the singers’ microphones out of their mic stands, stage monitors were suddenly pulled into the crowd, chaos erupting, Love and Rockets offered the rabid crowd a feeble wave goodbye and fled the stage. Soon the police were called in and arrived in full force, proving certain 1980s concerns that “those new wave kids are up to no good.” They were correct!

Concertgoers for the Daily’s Place show can be equally certain that those kinds of hijinks won’t be present, considered the bulk of the crowd might have used their AARP discounts to purchase tickets.

Jane’s Addiction and Love and Rockets perform at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27 at Daily’s Place in downtown Jacksonville. Tickets are available here.