Lollapalooza 2008 Day 3: Perry and Slash

After popping up during Perry’s set in the DJ tent yesterday, Slash is rumored to show up again at the Kidz stage for another secret gig with Mr. Lollapalooza. Accordingly, a deep scrum of Jane’s addicts and Gunners junkies stretches back 100 yards. Former Porno For Pyros guitarist Peter DiStefano wraps up his set of bar-room classic-rock covers. He gets the Led out for the babies, dragging and tapping a violin bow against his axe to top off “Communication Breakdown.”

The Kidz stage emcee marvels at “the largest ever Kidzapalooza crowd ever” and asks everyone to sit tight for a special guest. Immediately, you can feel the entire crowd stand on tip-toe to steal a possible glance of a top hat bopping along behind the fence. But when the iconic guitarist takes the stage, it is without his trademark black hat. No, Slash sports a backwards trucker cap with “Fuck” scrawled across the front. He lights up, and leaves a cigarette dangling from his lips for the entirety of the four song set. Aw, it’s for the kidz.

Dressed in French sailor shirt and vest, Perry prances out and does his best impersonation of a Sesame Street host. It’s pretty spot on, considering his chirpy, nasally voice. He’d make a good Muppet.

“This first song is about superstition, and how you maybe shouldn’t be afraid to check out creepy things like voodoo,” Perry says before Slash tears into the boogie of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” complete with absurd solos. “He’s a ripper,” Perry explains to the kids, but points out that it takes a lot of practice to be Slash. Well, unless you have a copy of Guitar Hero III.

The band also work through a version of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” (which Perry explains to the children as a song “about the other side of life, death”), as well as two songs from Jane’s Addiction’s Nothing’s Shocking—“Mountain Song” and “Jane Says.” Three things become clear. (1) “Knockin’,” as played by Slash, needs Axl. (2) Slash destroys Dave Navarro on Dave’s songs. (3) Lollapalooza is at it’s best during these goofy impromptu sets.

Perry asks the crowd to excuse him for a moment, as he’s “older and needs a drink of water.” The yoga-toned frontman walks over to his wife and pulls a sip from her champagne glass.