Critic's Choice

Perry Farrell is a weird genius-prophet from another dimension -- or maybe from the future. His creations are cunning experiments, forays outside of the rigid bounds of normal thought. Like a trickster of myth playing possum, he pretends to be part of just another band or rock show, beguiling us into venturing with him into the truly daring. With Jane's Addiction (Wednesday, October 31, at Magness Arena), Farrell assembled more than a band. Along with Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins and Eric Avery, Farrell somehow forged an alliance of forces, both alchemical and elemental, that could turn fire into steel on any given night. Jane's crafted an innovative sound out of the rage of punk, the raw power of rock, the pseudopodial, tribal drumming of the unmatched Perkins and Farrell's terrifying vocals and piercing words. But bottled lightning is as rare and unstable as oxygen on the moon: It doesn't last long, and there are bound to be fights over it. There was no way a group this volatile could last, and indeed, Avery didn't make the cut for the current mini-reunion tour. But the show is certain to be worth it -- the remaining three members of an act this inventive would never settle for the canned, carefully rehearsed "mayhem" of the geriatric dinosaur-rock set. Praise the Lord and pass the Kool-Aid. We're on our way to Perry's planet!