Jane's Addiction bass player Eric Avery struck a chord with the band's fans last Friday night when he updated his blog with a surprise show announcement. Five hundred lucky fans were able to see the original JA line up last night at the Echoplex by signing up at the band's official website and paying ten dollars at the door. It seems that Jane's latest addiction has been to play small shows (El Cid, La Cita) in Los Angeles with plenty of hardcore Jane's fans equally addicted to catching every performance they can.

Last night's sold out gig -- filled with a plethora of East side hipsters, original Jane's fans who have been there since the band's first studio record Nothing's Shocking and celebrities including actress Demi Moore and hubby actor Ashton Kutcher, actor Danny Masterson and his girlfriend actress Bijou Phillips, and Flight of the Conchords' Bret Mckenzie -- might have been the last of the small-ish Jane's gigs before they join forces to tour with NIN, an announcement made yesterday by NIN's frontman Trent Reznor on his blog. If anything, Jane's 48 minute, 11 song set proved that they are back and ready to take over live venues once again.

Playing a late set which began at 11:11 pm, the band emerged onstage and immediately launched into "Up The Beach" before playing a powerful, energized set of 10 more songs including hits "Stop" and "Been Caught Stealing" and crowd pleasers "Mountain Song" and "Ocean Size," the last song of the night which sent one fan, apropos of the song's title, body surfing through the crowd. Clearly, the band were enjoying themselves, feeding off the energy of the enthusiastic audience who, while singing and dancing along to every tune, must have taken at least 200 videos if the amount of cell phones held over heads are any indication. Noticeably absent was "Jane Says," but the band kept the set short and sweet both teasing and satisfying their fans at the same time.

Singer Perry Farrell dressed in a black and white, tight fitting striped jacket, black button down and a bevy of necklaces around his neck was in fine form, all smiles, joking with the crowd, looking at times like a possessed preacher (when he held a lit candelabra in his hand and asked the crowd, "Do I look more like the King of Darkness or Neptune (sic God of the Sea)?" and, at others, like a giddy schoolboy doing the Pogo.

Wailing guitarist Dave Navarro who was shirtless and wearing a constant dangling cigarette between his lips (adding a fedora a few songs into the show) infused the night with loud, crashing guitars while the rhythm section, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery held steady the complicated rhythms which kept the fans gyrating. Avery's parents, Brian and Nicole, were in the crowd proudly beaming at their son with Papa Avery wearing a 20 year old Jane's Addiction t-shirt.

After the show, the band happily greeted friends and family backstage. Perkins who emerged from the backstage dressing room, sweaty and wearing a one piece grey Dickies jumpsuit gushed, "I've been waiting all day to do this. It went by too quickly. I'm surrounded by friends and family and that's just onstage. It's a night of reunions, not just for the band but for everyone hanging out."

Navarro echoed Perkins sentiments, saying, "I had a really amazing time." Avery, who says he loves the Echoplex and attends many shows at the venue said, "It was just good, solid and sweaty fun, all the things you want from a rock show." Referencing the size of the show in comparison to some of the smaller shows the band has played recently, he added, half jokingly and half seriously, "I was just happy to see there wasn't a low hanging beam somewhere that I had to watch out for." Farrell, who was swarmed by people backstage was indubitably happy about the band's performance saying, "It was a lot of fun. I like playing anywhere it's a happening scene. I don't care if it's 12 people if it's a party."