Pop : ‘Lollapalooza’ Redux Outshines Original

Remember way back to last summer’s “Lollapalooza ’93"? For anyone nostalgic for those bygone days, the experience was re-created in remarkably detailed miniature at the Hollywood Palladium on Friday.

All the key elements were in place: the parking nightmares . . . the long lines . . . the security hassles . . . the sweaty crush of the crowd. . . .

And, oh yeah, the music.

Four of the seven bands on this benefit show--Alice in Chains, Primus, Fishbone and Tool--were on the “Lollapalooza” lineup, while a fifth (Porno for Pyros) is fronted by “Lollapalooza” co-founder Perry Farrell. What’s more, Zack de la Rocha, the singer of the last tour’s most dynamic act, Rage Against the Machine, made a guest appearance with Tool.

But there was something Friday that was sorely missing from “Lollapalooza”: a sense of musical community.

This show was put together to pay the legal fees of Fishbone bassist Norwood Fisher, who was recently acquitted of charges that he had attempted to kidnap former Fishbone guitarist Kendall Jones. (Fisher and several of Jones’ family members believed that Jones had suffered a nervous breakdown last year and intended to take him in for psychological observation.)

A mega-jam session planned for Fishbone’s show-closing set never took place, but several of the night’s performances featured the loose, cross-pollinating interaction that has never really materialized in the more formalized “Lollapalooza” setting. In addition to De la Rocha, Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley also joined Tool, while several members of Fishbone stepped out with Primus.

Seattle’s Alice in Chains was the most somber and serious of the bunch, with its acoustic set bringing the mood and pace down between the other bands’ electric momentum. But the group used the platform of this special show effectively, bypassing its hits in favor of previewing its upcoming EP.

With a fedora-sporting, bongo-beating Staley leading the unplugged quartet, two new songs and two older numbers sounded intriguingly like Gregorian interpretations of “2,000 Light Years From Home.” But that was all the band played, leaving the crowd booing the stinginess.

The disappointment was perhaps magnified by Alice’s following a set from Porno for Pyros that was all the crowd could have hoped for. Porno shows--like those of Farrell’s previous group, Jane’s Addiction--tend to be hit or miss, depending largely on the leader’s demeanor. Farrell was positively ebullient, careening around the stage with unbridled enthusiasm, exaggerating his naturally gawky, geeky manner. More significantly, his three bandmates have coalesced into an impressive unit.

Fishbone’s set, sad to say, was the least impressive, its once-amazing melding of Sly, skank and slam having turned to bottom-heavy sludge. The planned jam would have not only provided a fitting capper for the night, but perhaps helped liberate Fishbone’s musical spirit.