Split over openers, joy for Jane's

South African rave-rappers Die Antwoord opening for alt-rock legends Jane's Addiction was an odd pairing, and the crowd reaction at Wednesday night's show at the Mann Center was all over the place.

The pavilion was more than half full when the opening duo, accompanied by a DJ, took the stage and began mouthing off whimsical, obscenity-laden rhymes while bouncing across the stage and jerking their bodies to the spastic beats.

The act was as much about performance art as it was music. Pint-sized frontwoman Yo-Landi Visser discarded her gold lamé jacket and leggings for a pink cheerleader-inspired bikini to chirp the lyrics to "Baby's on Fire" while her coconspirator, Ninja, shirtless and clad in orange jailhouse-issue pants, danced and rapped, his face in a permanent tetanus grimace.

As they plowed through some of their hits, including "I Fink U Freeky," the audience went from confused to amused. Comments afterward ranged from "they were terrible" to "that was weird, but I liked it."

Die Antwoord warmed up the crowd, but Jane's Addiction was what the people wanted. Catcalls and screams preceded the band's entrance, and nearly all seats in the pavilion were empty as people stood up in anticipation.

With gothic girls in long ballroom dresses dancing on swings above the stage, the band began with "Underground," the lead track off their 2011 album The Great Escape Artist. They followed with "Mountain Song" and "Just Because," then brought out their hit "Been Caught Stealing." The already-amped crowd could not have been happier.

In reference to the rain-shortened set Aug. 9 at the Bethlehem Musikfest, whose tickets were honored at the Mann Center show, singer Perry Farrell introduced the song by saying that the band was going to give something back, exclaiming "Bethlehem!" as it began.

Over the course of the hour-plus set, amid a permanent cloud of cigarette and cannabis smoke, the band coupled newer material with classics, balancing the new "Irresistible Force" with 1988's "Ted, Just Admit It . . ." and "Jane Says." Without a finale, the evening closed somewhat unexpectedly with "Stop," from 1990's Ritual de lo Habitual.

While there were some technical glitches with the sound, and Farrell's singing was a bit sloppy on "Jane Says," at the end of the night the quartet showed that aging rock stars can still put on a solid show.