Last year, Porno for Pyros announced their reunion tour, followed by word of new music on the horizon. But in a strange irony that Porno for Pyros reunion tour ended up being their farewell tour. The Horns, Thorns, en Halos Farewell Tour kicked off in February and recently landed at The Fillmore Silver Spring to an enthusiastic crowd.
Porno for Pyros grew from the dissolution of the Perry Farrell (vocal) and Stephen Perkins (drums) band Jane’s Addiction in 1991. That break-up also coincided with Farrell’s creation of the traveling music festival, Lollapalooza, partly as a farewell to Jane’s Addiction. The eclectic festival continues, and Farrell is still very involved in the event.
I hadn’t had the chance years ago before Porno for Pyros’ own break up in the late 1990s to see the band. But on March 3, I got the feeling as the lights dimmed and the band took to the stage at The Fillmore Silver Spring that these folks on the stage weren’t just going through the motions.
The band’s rhythmic groove buoyed by Perkins and the legendary Mike Watt (bass), who joined on their sophomore album, Good God’s Urge, was infectious. As Farrell sang and danced about the stage, Peter DiStefano (guitar) wailed. This was a band having fun with Farrell, who at one point during “Meija,” removed his wide-brimmed fedora to cool himself down in DiStefano’s presence.
Porno for Pyros generated a sound that was huge, filled in with help from Robin Hatch on keyboards and Etty Lau Farrell on backing vocals.
Throughout the night, Farrell spoke conversationally to the crowd about loving one another, taxing casinos with revenue going toward housing the homeless, protecting the world’s oceans, and standing up for women in society. And those same sentiments are at the root of a lot of the work of Porno for Pyros.
It has to be said that waiting in line to get into The Fillmore Silver Spring, a lot of fans spoke about how personable the band, and in particular Perry Farrell, was prior to the show — shaking hands, taking photos, and, in general, being righteous dudes.
Farrell took a few moments to tell the crowd, “We are on the precipice of history… Do you believe we will have progress in the next few years? Don’t give up… you know why? Because I love life too much.” He went on, “This is the generation that’s gonna make it happen,” as the band started on a new song about from the past year, “Agua.”
Although Porno for Pyros only released two full-length albums during their history, those two records were near-perfect pieces of recorded music. Songs as varied as the echoing “Thick of It All,” the yowling guitar of “Cursed Female” / “Cursed Male” and the fun psychedelic pop of “Pets” and “Tahitian Moon” kept this night going and fans dancing.
Watch the official music video for “Tahitian Moon” by Porno for Pyros on YouTube:
It was a surprise to hear the Iggy and the Stooges number, “I Got a Right” with the strobing lights that peppered the stage flashing in unison as Farrell sang “Anytime I want I got a right to sing / No matter what they say.”
The night finished with the single, “Tahitian Moon,” a nice cap to an incredible show. And although this may be Porno for Pyros last stop in the DC area, I still hold out hope for one day having the chance to see this band again.
Porno for Pyros finish up their final tour with their last stops in New York and New Jersey.
The setlist included:
Orgasm
Meija
Porno for Pyros
Sadness
Agua
Thick of It All
Good God’s://Urge!
Cursed Female
Cursed Male
Porpoise Head
Pets
Little Me
Wishing Well
Blood Rag
I Got a Right (Iggy and The Stooges cover)
Bad Shit
Tahitian Moon
Here are more photos of Porno for Pyros performing at The Fillmore Silver Spring on March 3, 2024. All photos copyright and courtesy of David LaMason.
And here are photos of Tigercub opening for Porno for Pyros on March 3, 2024.
