Porno for Pyros Say Farewell to Chicago at the Salt Shed

Porno for Pyros has always been a pretty big deal for a side project.

If you mention Perry Farrell to someone that remembers the early to mid 90's pretty well, they're going to know him as the enigmatic lead singer of Jane's Addiction. Ask any of these young folk born out of the "Oh no the world might end tonight" post-Y2K boom about him and they might know him as the mind behind Lollapalooza (or at least have been thrown up on during Lolla at the Perry stage that's named in his tribute).

Jane's Addiction was a huge force in the burgeoning alternative scene of the late 80's and early 90's, and when they broke up, Porno for Pyros emerged from the ashes. Teaming up with Farrell was Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, who added guitarist Peter DiStefano and bassist Martyn LeNoble to complete the lineup. The result was two critically acclaimed albums, several successful tours, and a flair for the dramatic when it came to their live shows, incorporating props and pyrotechnics (duh) to give the whole performance a level of theatricality that wasn't common in Jane's Addiction's straightforward rock shows.

As time went on, Porno for Pyros because kind of a weird Ship of Theseus type situation. Already starting with a foundation that was made up of 50% Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros were regularly joined on select tracks and on tour with Jane's guitarist Dave Navarro. Eventually DiStefano was diagnosed with cancer, leaving the band essentially 75% of Jane's Addiction, which naturally led to Pyros being extinguished.

Temporarily, at least.

Re-forming the band for a performance at his 50th birthday, Farrell promised more Porno for Pyros at some point in the future. That was in 2009 and it took until COVID lockdowns in 2020 for the band to officially re-form yet again, performing for Lolla2020, a free four-night YouTube event of live performances during the original scheduled days of the canceled Lollapalooza.

More festival appearances followed after COVID lockdowns ended and the band emerged with brand new music to close out 2023. That music took longer than anticipated to finish, leading to a 2023 tour being bumped to 2024.

With the rescheduled Chicago date bumped from the Aragon to the Salt Shed, Porno for Pyros were ready to touch base with their fans 30 years after bursting onto the scene with noise rock group Tigercub in support.

One of the most unique live music experiences my favorite live music experiences is seeing a band perform a set that has the energy and vibe of a laid-back dive bar only it's in a 3,600 capacity venue. And that's exactly what we got out of Tigercub's performance. A noise rock trio hailing from England, guitarist/vocalist Jamie Hall did much of the legwork creating that kind of laid-back but still in-your-face sound. Part of it was engaging with the audience in a series of debates and statements that you've 100% overheard at a bar in your life ("The Smiths or New Order?" and "Fuck Oasis!" being the most likely perpetrators). Part of it was the steady stream of beers being cracked by the band throughout their set. But the biggest part of it was how naturally they vibed together, creating a sound big enough to fill every square inch of the converted salt factory.

At times sounding like Royal Blood when they picked up the pace, only to immediately switch gears into a more brooding stoner-rock anthem right after. Their 10 song set mainly focused on 2022's The Perfume of Decay and was a weird mix of being loud enough to make back of your jaw vibrate, having a "wow, you could hook up to this song" groove, but also being kinda scared? Like if you took a bunch of Ambien and then ran through the woods listening to Nine Inch Nails' 'Closer'. As odd of a combo as that might sound, 10/10 highly recommended.

One surprise that was dropped on fans when this run of Porno for Pyros live dates we rescheduled is that the tour was now being branded as a farewell tour, meaning this was the last Pyros we were ever going to get. It's not too surprising considering rock and roll tends to be a young man's game. Perry Farrell is 65. Bassist Mike Watt, filling in for Martyn LeNoble, had to play from a seated position following recent surgery. With three new songs (and a rumored 4th on the way to complete their EP) and timing their tour with the 30th year as a band, this seems like a logical time to go out while still giving long-time fans one last shot at seeing them perform live.

Never ones to rely on distorted riffs or double bass to blow you away, as I mentioned before, Porno for Pyros has a reputation for explosive live shows, specifically from a production standpoint. So it might have been a bit of a surprise to fans that last saw the band in action 26 years ago to see more of a stripped-down setup with an emphasis on atmosphere, two backup dancers, a few synths, and a bottle of red wine being the only 'extra' items onstage aside from bass/drums/guitar. A few softly illuminated staffs were placed on both sides of the stage, more for mood setting than anything, although it was fun to see DiStefano pick one up and use it in place of the trusty bow he breaks out from time to time to play his guitar like a cello.

If you're going for a "let's light some candles and incense and vibe out" feel for your show, there aren't many Porno for Pyros songs better to kick off a set than 'Orgasm' off their self-titled debut. A song that slithers and grooves its way along, it was the perfect introduction to the final iteration of the band. But just because they don't have flame jets and giant props doesn't mean that the entire evening stayed on the low-key side of things. Far from it. Using 'Good God's:// Urge' as an in-between to slowly bring things up a few notches, the band unleashed a triple slap of 'Sadness'/'Media'/'Porno for Pyros' as a reminder of how funky they can get.

Being confined to a chair didn't stop Mike Watt from dropping some of the slickest bass work the Salt Shed has seen in quite a while, extra impressive carrying the beginning of 'Blood Rag' with the same speed and ferocity it had when it came out three decades ago. The legendary Minutemen bassist was every bit as energetic as he would have been on two legs. Decked out in a suit and tie (while still serving the spirit of alternative music with a sick Porno for Pyros patch sewn onto the leg), Peter DiStefano had the energy and look of a man still playing these songs with as much passion as he did in 1994. Frequently seeming to get swept up into his own guitar work, he also seemed to take the time to really step back and appreciate what he was seeing onstage. Almost like he was as much a fan of the band as everyone in attendance.

Throughout the evening, one thing that was clear was the connection between longtime bandmates Farrell and Perkins, most notably on the nights closer, an absolutely incendiary rendition of their self-titled album track 'Bad Shit'. Giving everything they had for the final song of the evening, Perkins and Farrell seemed to be feeding off each other as the song went on. That's not to take anything away from the groove that Watt was throwing down or the rapid-fire wah wah riffs from DiStefano. But Farrell and Perkins have always been the constant of the band, the backbone. Constantly joking and shooting each other a variety of looks throughout the set, the way their performances complimented each other, sometimes with Farrell's signature voice being used as a percussion instrument of its own, is something that only happens when musicians have been playing together for so long that they almost share a musical brain. Stretching back to their time together in Jane's Addiction, the full upside of that connection was on display the entire evening.

As the band huddled together to wave goodbye to Chicago for the last time, you could tell how much it meant to both them and the audience to be there revisiting these songs with their biggest fans all these years later. If this is the last we see of Porno for Pyros, they made sure to absolutely go out on the highest note possible. even if it's a bit different of a note than they initially came in on.

The Horns, Thorns, and Halos Farewell Tour continues through March. Dates and links to tickets can be found here.

Porno for Pyros Setlist - The Salt Shed, Chicago 2.26.24

Orgasm
Good God's:// Urge
Sadness
Meija
Porno for Pyros
Agua
Wishing Well
Cursed Female
Cursed Male
Porpoise Head
Pets
Little Me
Bali Eyes
Blood Rag
I Got a Right (Stooges cover)
Tahitian Moon
Bad Shit