Jane's Addiction Nearly Canceled Lollapalooza Gig

The news of Adam Yauch's cancer and the Beastie Boys canceling their tour has been more than just a headache for festival promoters. As we previously told you, All Points West founder Paul Tollett, who has a 20-year-friendship with the band, was extremely upset when Yauch revealed his illness. Now Lollapalooza founder and Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell tells Spinner he was equally devastated. "It was very rough news," he says. "For a moment there I kind of broke down when I heard that not only Adam had cancer, but they weren't going to be able to perform. They're not only great performers and great musicians, but they're really fun people to be around and they're really deep souls."

Another band that almost didn't make it was Farrell's own Jane's Addiction. Apparently, the elbow infection that sidelined drummer Stephen Perkins and forced them to cancel their Australian tour left the Lolla gig in a precarious position. "I didn't know it would be cool at all. I went to visit him in the hospital and it looked like he had a water balloon on his elbow," Farrell says. "When he got home he went to the doctor and the doctor said, 'I have to put you in the hospital because of where you've been. You might have flesh-eating disease.'"

Now, very few times are you going to hear someone say, "Luckily it was only a staph infection," but when it's a choice between that and flesh-eating disease, you'll take staph infection every time. As a result, Jane's will be there in Chicago on Sunday night, though it's been a rough road to get there. "We haven't even been able to rehearse, which Steve Perkins is the last guy to call off rehearsals anywhere in the world," Farrell says. "He'll show up anywhere, anytime to play drums. But he was told by the doctors he's got to just play at show time and that's it."

Have no fear though, the band has still been preparing for a show Farrell promises will be legendary. "So we've been rehearsing dancers for Jane's and putting together the show with the other production elements. We're bringing in a whole gang of new production elements, theatrical elements for the live show."

We can't wait.