Concert line-up announced
Jane’s Addiction guitarists Dave Navarro and Billy Morrison have been confirmed as the first line-up for a fourth Above Ground benefit show early next year.
They will be joined by Billy Idol, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, who will perform classic debut albums by the New York Dolls and The Cars in their entirety.
Also performing on stage will be Billy Howerdel (“A Perfect Circle”), Elliot Easton (“Cars”), Jerry Harrison (“Talking Heads/Modern Lovers”), Josh Freese (“Foo Fighters”), Mark McGrath (“Sugar Ray”), Steve Stevens (“Billy Idol”), and Tommy Henriksen and Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires). More will be added in the coming weeks.
Benefit details and purpose
The concert will take place on January 25 at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood, California. Proceeds will be donated to MusiCares through the Aboveground Organization, “a registered 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to raising funds and awareness for mental health and suicide prevention issues.”
“Dave and I like albums that are closer to the ‘art’ side of things, and those are quite difficult to recreate,” Morrison said. “We just do our best to preserve the recordings, get the parts and tones right, and not just hack bad covers of these important songs. So we’re not really trying to ‘hype’ them, but rather present these albums the way they were meant to be heard, each song in order, sounding as close to the original as possible.”
Billy Idol, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Dave Navarro, Billy Morrison and others will perform classic New York Dolls and The Cars albums at the Above Ground 4 benefit concert → https://t.co/BPdH9jvWdQ pic.twitter.com/YPDpKgpSrP
— CONSEQUENCES (@consequence) December 12, 2024
Returning after a hiatus
Above Ground last aired in 2021 and is only now returning due to Navarro’s battle with long Covid.
“Overland 3 (2021) was a great success, but after that show I got really sick with COVID,” he said. “It took over two years before I was well enough to return to the stage. And while I continue to heal, we thought it was time!”
“We have a job to do and we need to remind people, especially during the holidays, that it’s okay to ask for help! I’m looking forward to getting on stage with my friends and recreating this original music while having fun and raising money for MusiCares.”
“The need to shine a light on mental health has not gone away,” Morrison added. “And I think Dave and I work so well together at these AG events that it just felt right to come back with a fourth show. We both have our own mental health battles on different levels and if we can help raise funds and awareness then we are doing a good job.”
Navarro returned to the stage with Jane’s Addiction earlier this year, but the reunion was short-lived after an incident on stage in Boston where frontman Perry Farrell pushed Navarro mid-set and the show ended abruptly. Jane’s Addiction subsequently canceled their remaining shows and confirmed a hiatus, citing the frontman’s “mental health issues.” The band’s guitar technician later said that Farrell hit Navarro backstage.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/dave-navarro-and-billy-morrison-announce-line-up-for-above-ground-benefit-show-3822121?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dave-navarro-and-billy-morrison-announce-line-up-for-above-ground-benefit-show
