Image via YouTube

Yesterday, May 23, Jane’s Addiction shared a rare video from a live performance to Instagram, capturing the band’s grand entrance at London’s Bush Hall and eruption into “Kettle Whistle” with its signature brand of understated attitude, just as it has so many times before. But this was no ordinary intro for the four-decade alt-rock innovators, as Thursday’s performance marked the first time that the original quartet of Perry Farrell, Stephen Perkins, Eric Avery and Dave Navarro shared a stage in a staggering 14 years. Ever cool and collected, the group communicated its enthusiasm with an auspiciously terse caption: “We’re back.”

Navarro’s return on Thursday after a years-long battle with COVID followed Avery’s reunion with the group in 2022, which concluded a 12-year walkout–his second in the band’s tumultuous history. Riding the unimaginable high of its first core concert since February 2010, the band kicked things off with the classic entry “Kettle Whistle,” which traces its roots past its first studio recording in 1997 to the band’s early heyday in the late ‘80s. This marked the first time that the group had staged the song with Navarro since 2001.

After cycling through more memorable hits like “Ain’t No Right,” and “Ted, Just Admit It…,” Jane’s Addiction brought the energy to another peak at the set’s midpoint with a live debut of the explosive “Imminent Redemption.” Things continued to heat up in the second act as the group brought out its heaviest hitters, treating the crowd to thrilling treatments of “Stop!,” “Been Caught Steeling,” “Mountain Song” and more. After its fourth-ever staging of “True Love,” a new offering debuted in 2023, the band closed out its performance with “Ocean Size” and “Three Days.”

Jane’s Addiction will take the stage again tomorrow, May 25, to headline Bearded Theory 2024 in Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire, England, then continue on a 17-stop European run through July 4. For tickets and more information on the band’s upcoming concerts, visit janesaddiction.com/.

Watch Jane’s Addiction reunite for “Kettle Whistle” and “Imminent Redemption” in the fan-recorded videos below, and read on for the complete setlist from May 23.

Jane’s Addiction
Bush Hall – London
5/24/24

Set: Kettle Whistle*, Ain’t No Right, Whores, Ted, Just Admit It…, Imminent Redemption, Then She Did…, Stop!, Mountain Song, Been Caught Stealing, True Love, Ocean Size, Three Days

Notes:
* First time performed with Dave Navarro since 2001