Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo Blu-ray Movie Review

Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo was recorded on Halloween night 2009 at Voodoo Experience in New Orleans. In front of a very enthusiastic crowd the original members of Jane's Addiction - Perry Farrell (vocals), Dave Navarro (guitar), Eric Avery (bass) and Stephen Perkins (drums) - performed a set of classic hits, including "Mountain Song", "Ted, Just Admit It", "Summertime Rolls", "Been Caught Stealing", etc.

The show begins with the fine opening instrumental from "Up the Beach". An inspired performance of the classic "Mountain Song" is next. Farrell's voice sounds great here and so do Navarro's solos.

"Ain't No Right" from "Rotual De Lo Habitual" proves that, like Farrell, Perkins is still a force to be reckoned with. During the classic "Three Days", Farrell is joined on the stage by two incredibly sexy twins. Needless to say, Navarro's guitar solos are once again incredible.

The feverish "Whores" is next. Farrell goes crazy here and so does most of the crowd. After a kind invitation to "talk and celebrate Death", he sings "Then She Did..".

The highlight of the night is the classic "Been Caught Stealing". Again, Farrell's voice sounds remarkably good here, and Navarro's solos are fantastic. Avery is also great on the bass.

"Ocean Size" keeps the energy in the venue up. Some of Navarro's greatest solos in this show are right here - confident and truly inspired. Farrell confesses that he "never got a hard-on from a pop song" and the band delivers a fine performance of the psychedelic "Ted, Just Admit It".

"Summertime Rolls" is a fine bluesy tune that should bring back plenty of memories amongst hardcore Jane's Addiction fans. "Stop!" sends the crowd into frenzy again, and is quickly followed by a terrific rendition of "Jane Says", during which the stage is invaded by appropriately dressed and boozed up fans of the band. The final song for the night is "Chip Away".

Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo is a fine show that effectively reminds why Jane's Addiction are considered by many to be one of the greatest American Alternative Rock bands. Simply put, there is nothing like them out there.

Dave Navarro

Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080l "live" transfer, Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.

This is a strong high-definition transfer. Clarity is excellent and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire show. The stage lighting is fairly simple but effective, and there are no serious shadow issues. Mild motion-judder is present but it is never a serious issue of concern. Occasionally, there is some mild background noise that pops up here and there, but overall the image quality is very strong. Finally, I did not see any transfer-specific anomalies to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. I opted of the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track allows for a very satisfying sonic experience. The bass potent, the rear channels intelligently used, and the high-frequencies not overdone. Perry Farrell's vocals are very clear (except when he gets tired and his voice drops) while Dave Navarro's solos are pleasingly crisp. The crowd noise is prominent but never overwhelming. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing dropouts to report in this review.

The LPCM is fairly decent. However, it clearly lacks the dept and dynamic intensity of the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. If you test "Ocean Size" and "Summertime Rolls" you will hear a notable gap in quality.

I tested only a couple of songs with the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Unsurprisingly, it is disappointingly weak.

Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NME featurette - a short behind the scenes featurette in which the members of Jane's Addiction talk about how happy they are to be together again as well as the joy of playing in front of their fans. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080i).

Photo gallery -

Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo is yet another very strong Blu-ray release from the competent folks at Eagle Rock Entertainment. Farrell's voice still sounds great and Navarro's guitar solos are, as usual, outstanding. The audio/video quality is top-notch as well. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.