Fans were gushing today over the news that former Guns n’ Roses bassist, Duff McKagan, would likely be filling the shoes of Eric Avery as the new bass player for @JanesAddiction. Founding member Avery left the band after a very brief reunion last summer.

It’s been all but confirmed by Perry Farrell who would only simply say that that the prospect of a new bassist is “very likely.” But it makes sense that McKagan would be the choice as he’s been close friends with the band since the late 80′s and has collaborated some with Jane’s guitarist, Dave Navarro, in the band Camp Freddy.

Despite no official confirmation, Farrell said on his site, Xiola.org, that the “mysterious” bassist is writing with the original trio and that songs for the first new album since 2003′s “Strays” are starting to come together. “We’ve got one great song so far called ‘Top Dog,’” he says.

Giggity-giggity!

Jane’s Addiction
“Nothing’s Shocking”

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So this is a half-assed review and recap of Lollapalooza 2009, but quite honestly this festival is so big with so much to do and see yet there is still so much I missed, words just aren’t really adequate. I will say this for starters, Sunday was the most fun I’ve ever had at any concert. Ever. Not necessarily the “best” show or even legendary show I’ve seen; it was 150% pure joy and adrenaline. I’ve never experienced anything quite like how happy Jane’s Addiction made me.

Other highlights: sitting next to Tom Gray from Gomez at Breakfast. Seeing Kings of Leon at the Pub Friday night. A fat guy passed out but still managing to roll in the mud and his own vomit. White Lies. No Security. Good friends. Old friends. New friends. Cheap food. Free Water. Friendly people. Yeah Yeah Yeahs playing just a brief bit of “What ya Want” by The Beastie Boys. Museum of Contemporary Art. New Belt Buckle (pictured below). Striking a good deal with the art dealer. Trees.

So here’s a recap of my personal weekend mostly told through images and photos that I managed to shoot while partying my ass off…

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What a lineup this year and the official schedule was just released today! From “Band of Horses” to “Lou Reed” to “Neko Case” to “Gomez.” Or if you prefer to be more obscure, why not check out “Zap! Mama” or “The Low Anthem”? However you decide, the Lollapaloza official site makes it super easy to make your custom schedule with the bands you want to see. Then share the schedule on Facebook, Twitter and even check your schedule with your mobile phone. Everything is slick and ticks nicely.

Now I consider myself fairly up to the minute with popular music, but I’ve gotta admit that there are a ton of bands on here I’ve never heard of. Again, Perry Farrel and his gang of techies to the rescue. The main site does an excellent job showcasing (nearly) each band with a bio, description and usually a couple of streaming files of some of their tracks.

At any rate, I haven’t got time to write right now. I’ve got to get over there and put together my schedule. Looks like the Sunday lineup has a lot of conflicts. “Band of Horses” or “Silversun Pickups”? Decisions decisions. Sheesh!