Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Chicago was fortunate in being one of the very few cities where Porno For Pyros fully reunited for a few festivals, including Lollapalooza, which was founded by its front man Perry Farrell as the initial conclusion of Jane’s Addiction.

Alongside fellow member of both bands Stephen Perkins on drums, fellow co-founding guitarist Peter and bassist/newer recruit Mike Watt (Minutemen, Dos, Firehose), the supergroup of sorts is temporarily back with an entirely new album on the horizon, but are simultaneously in the midst of the “Horns, Thorns En Halos Farewell” Tour.

Luckily, The Salt Shed gave fans of the alternative rock/psychedelic funk innovators a full-fledged chance to properly wave goodbye for about 90 minutes spent primarily on its two projects from the 1990s, the self-titled debut and “Good God’s Urge,” in addition to a few previews of what’s to come.

“Meija” and “Sadness” were a few examples up front to aptly summarize the group’s experimental grooves with the track “Porno For Pyros” following closely behind, also from the first gold-selling groundbreaker.

The fellas fast forwarded to the present for the trippy, gritty “Aqua,” demonstrating renewed chemistry and an admirable ability to make the decades melt away, while applying a similar punch to the prior “Wishing Well,” plus the companion pieces “Cursed Female” and “Cursed Male.”

Though primarily found on the left side of the dial, “Pets” was of course a huge hit and arguably even more relevant from a lyrical perspective these days thanks to its cheeky chronicling of humanity’s de-evolution.

Nonetheless, the mood was nothing short of celebratory as Porno For Pyros continued to dust off album touchstones “Bali Eyes” and “Blood Rag,” then kept the momentum going with a cover of Iggy And The Stooges’ “I Got A Right.”

“Tahitian Moon” was another adrenaline pumper that reminded everyone of the foursome’s collective ferocity, and despite it presumably being the final chance to catch the fellow single on stage, it only wet the appetites of what could come on the studio swansong during this dual season of fresh starts and finality.

For additional information on Porno For Pyros, visit Porno For Pyros.

Upcoming concert highlights at The Salt Shed include Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit (Feb. 29-Mar. 1); Greensky Bluegrass (Mar. 2); AC Slater (Mar. 8); LANY (Mar. 29-30); Benson Boone (Apr. 2-3); Jeff Rosenstock (Apr. 11); Waxahatchee (Apr. 20); Strfkr (Apr. 26); Atmosphere (May 3); Belle & Sebastian (May 4); Trey Anastasio And Classic Tab (May 9); The Teskey Brothers (May 10); Portugal. The Man (May 11); Sleep Token (May 15-16); Chicano Batman (May 17); Social Distortion and Bad Religion (May 18); Freddie Gibbs & Madlib (May 19); Gary Clark Jr. (May 20); The Decemberists (May 21); Knocked Loose (May 23); Bleachers (May 25); Marcus King (Jun. 2); Khruangbin (Jun. 7-9) and Brothers Osborne (Jun. 22). For additional details, visit SaltShedChicago.com.

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