Porno For Pyros - April 04, 1992 - Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA

Date: April 04, 1992
Location: Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
Recorded: Audio (audience)
Video (audience)
Status: Confirmed
Type: Concert
Lineup: Perry Farrell
Stephen Perkins
Martyn Lenoble
Peter DiStefano
Artwork:
 

Setlist:

Orgasm
Meija
Blood Rag
Cursed Male
Cursed Female

Show Information:

This was Porno For Pryos' very first concert. This show was a Magic Johnson AIDS benefit concert. Fishbone, Rollins Band, Primus, The Beastie Boys and The Red Hot Chili Peppers also performed.

Daily News of Los Angeles (CA)
April 3, 1992
Edition: Valley
Section: L.A. LIFE
Page: L45

...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone, Primus and ex-Jane's Addiction front man Perry Farrell's new group, Porno for Pyros, gather for an AIDS benefit at the Hollywood Palladium, 6215 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.

Daily News of Los Angeles (CA)
April 7, 1992
Edition: Valley
Section: L.A. LIFE
Page: L24

CHILI PEPPERS SPICE OF ACT UP BENEFIT
Author: Bruce Britt Daily News Music Critic

One could describe Saturday night's AIDS benefit concert at the Palladium as a real Lollapalooza.

The show, which was organized by ACT UP/LA and the Magic Johnson Foundation, featured six acts that have appeared on recent caravan tours, the most notable of which was last year's epoch-making Lollapalooza tour. The concert was headlined by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Hollywood hard-funk ensemble that will headline the 1992 Lollapalooza jaunt.

Aside from the Chili Peppers, the show featured Rollins Band, Primus, Fishbone and the Beastie Boys. Porno for Pyros, a group fronted by former Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell, was the opening act.

Offering fans a sneak preview of this year's Lollapalooza tour, the Chili Peppers proved they have the mettle to headline a major national excursion. Introduced by Los Angeles Lakers star Vlade Divac and former Laker Michael Cooper, the band went for the crowd's collective throat with a rumbling interpretation of its college radio hit, "Give It Away."

Midway through the performance Divac scampered from the wings and plunged headlong into the throng, just as many of the acts before the Chili Peppers had done. The sight of the lanky Laker riding atop a wave of humanity raised the excitement level to a fever pitch.

Divac's enthusiasm was understandable - the Chili Peppers continued to take it to the hoop for the duration of their performance. Playing beneath lights that showered purple and yellow beams on the band - a none-too-subtle homage to the Lakers - the quartet delivered tunes like "If You Have to Ask," "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" and Jimi Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic" with irresistible verve.

But it was Rollins Band, fronted by former Black Flag singer Henry Rollins, who was the undeniable winner in Saturday's high-energy sweepstakes. Executing a series of violent stabbing motions, Rollins delivered both spoken poetry and snarling vocals with clenched teeth. The band maintained such a stratospheric intensity level that it became clear early on that this would be the act to beat.

No act managed to best that performance, but all the bands gave it their best shot. Fishbone's performance virtually burst with energy, but it lacked that essential ingredient - soul. The band continues to be tripped up by the absence of a truly charismatic leader or standout musician.

The Beastie Boys delivered a similarly unfocused set. The hip-hop group began their set with selections from their forthcoming album, which featured the rappers on guitar, bass and drums. The resulting tunes and musical performances were surprisingly strong.

Unfortunately, the Beasties' set suffered some after they retired their instruments to perform nervy and uncompelling versions of rap tunes. In attempting to please hard-core metal and rap fans, the Beastie Boys ultimately surrendered the revelatory momentum they initially had established.

Porno for Pyros didn't sound all that different from Jane's Addiction and the band's promising set was too short to make any lasting judgments.

San Francisco's Primus proved to be the most enigmatic band on the bill. The subtleties in the trio's exotic music were muted by the Palladium's bathtub acoustics, all of which made Primus the evening's unfortunate Lollapaloosers.