Well, it was nice while it lasted. If you saw Jane’s Addiction last month at the 713 Music Hall, consider yourself fortunate, because the band has announced the cancellation of all future shows following fisticuffs onstage in Boston. It seems that vocalist Perry Farrell became annoyed by the onstage volume and took a swing at guitarist Dave Navarro. Once those two were separated, bassist Eric Avery caught Farrell in a headlock and delivered several punches to his head.
Emotions can run high during a performance, so it’s not surprising that several band members have mixed it up in front of a crowd. Some of the more memorable fights have involved the Who, the Kinks, Poison and the Jesus and Mary Chain.
Honorable mention in this category goes to Glenn Frey and Don Felder of the Eagles, who didn’t actually fight each other, but they sure talked about it during the last few songs of a 1980 concert. Though the sound crew tried to mute their mics, the audience heard plenty, with Frey threatening to kick Felder’s ass and characterizing the guitarist as a “fuckhead.” Ultimately, it was all sound and fury signifying nothing, as Felder jumped into a limo and sped off before any blows were struck. However, an acoustic guitar was not so lucky. Felder smashed it into kindling after the last song, and that was, in fact, the last song the Eagles were to play onstage until their reunion in 1994. Musicians. What can I tell you?
Ticket Alert
Two veteran acts will perform at Toyota Center as part of their respective farewell tours within the next few couple of months. ELO – sorry, Mr. Attorney, that’s “Jeff Lynne’s ELO” – will play at Toyota Center on Wednesday, October 16, and that show will be followed by a victory lap concert from Cyndi Lauper on Saturday, November 16. Tickets are still available for both shows, so don’t miss out.
Who doesn’t like a free show? The Woodlands 50th Anniversary concert on Friday, October 18, will feature Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, plus Hayes Carll and Jack Ingram. Tickets are yours for the grabbing, but you have to hit this site to get them.
Looking way ahead, tickets are on sale now for Big Head Todd and the Monsters’ 40th anniversary tour, coming to the House of Blues on Thursday, April 10. Calling it an anniversary tour is playing a bit fast and loose with dates, but, hey, you’ve got to do what you can to sell tickets these days. It seems that if it’s not a farewell tour, it’s an anniversary tour celebrating either a band’s formation or the release of a classic album. As the song says, “You Gotta Get a Gimmick.”
Concerts This Week
Tonight, it’s Cigarettes After Sex at Toyota Center. No, I mean the band, not the post-coital activity. The trio is touring in support of its latest album, X’s, performing music that has been characterized as “dreamy,” “ethereal” and “hazy.” Call it what you want, but over the past several years, the band has developed a loyal and passionate following. Kind of ironic, though, that smoking is prohibited at Toyota Center. But you can’t have sex there either. I mean, I’m sure it has been done, but you really shouldn’t.
The Heights Theater will play host to Los Lobos on Thursday. The parenthetical subtitle of the band’s first album was Just Another Band from East LA, but that line represents false modesty. Since 1973, Los Lobos have produced an incredible body of work, with influences ranging from rock to blues to country to Mexican folk music. This is a true American band, musically reflecting the melting pot that this country is supposed to be.
Get ready for two big shows at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion this weekend: metal dudes Five Finger Death Punch on Friday (with Marilyn Manson opening!) and Brit popsters Glass Animals on Saturday. 5FDP (that’s how the cool kids spell it) don’t have a new album to support, but Glass Animals released their latest, I Love You So F***ing Much, a few weeks ago. By the way, the asterisks are theirs, not mine. I bet 5FDP would have spelled it right out.
If you’ve been missing King Crimson, relief is at hand in the form of BEAT, a group of musicians assembled by guitarist Adrian Belew to perform Crimson’s music from the early ‘80s. Joining Belew will be guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Danny Carey, aces all. The show is on Saturday at the Bayou Music Center. For more on BEAT, check out this interview which ran in the Press last week.
When the name “Tom Jones” is mentioned, someone may well say, “Is he still alive?” The answer is an emphatic “Yes!” Jones is a marvel, still getting down with his bad self at 84 years old, belting out hits like “What’s New, Pussycat?” and collecting women’s undergarments as they are thrown onto the stage. Catch him on Monday at the Smart Financial Centre.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
