An UNEXPECTED reunion concert took place here the other day between Jane's Addiction principals Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro, a surprisingly low-key affair. Announced about a week before the concert took place, this was actually, according to Farrell, the first time the two had ever played together outside of their years with Jane's Addiction.
Rather than play that up, this was as casual an encounter as is possible to mount considering the circumstances. The crowd was of course thrilled when shirtless Navarro joined Farrell onstage. The highlight was the crowd sing-along, as the two worked through their hit "Jane Says." That moment was about as cliched as any Vegas reunion moment could be. And by the next day, the clip was posted on YouTube.
Farrell did a DJ set afterward, and many people did not even know Navarro was appearing until they saw his name on the casino marquee. And the show was not on the Strip. Rather, this concert took place at the high-end local's casino Red Rock Resort -- at the swimming pool.
Unlike reunion tours that hit Vegas (Van Halen, Bon Jovi), this was not in any way a big-money cash-in. This was a short concert (about 30 minutes) that received no more emphasis from the promoters than the charity wine-tasting before the show. This was the second of the occasional Saturday nights at Red Rock of what has quickly become the most-buzzed-about pool party to emerge this summer: Bottle Rock-It.
The key, according to Kyle Markmen, manager of night life and special events for Station Casinos, was to create an audience for the series rather than simply attracting tourists based on the fame of the headliner. So, the Bottle Rock-It series mixes a charity wine-tasting, a pool party with a nightclub vibe (rented VIP cabanas) and a concert followed by a DJ set. To keep the excitement level up, the resort has been announcing the headliners around a week before their appearances.
The eclectic series debuted over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, with Slash and friends (including Jason Bonham and Jerry Cantrell as well as Farrell). About 2,000 people were there for the Bottle Rock-It premiere on July 5. But that number hit around 3,000 for the second event with Farrell two weeks later. The series returns Saturday with the artist yet to be announced.
