Jane's Addiction [ tickets ]'s planned 2009 tour, the first to feature all original members since 1991, began at an old, abandoned supermarket building in a nondescript strip mall located next to a busy freeway. That was the setting for Playboy magazine's annual "Rock the Rabbit" SXSW party, and thus a perfect setting for a "surprise" set by the reunited Jane's.

Some pairings work and some don't (such as, say, Ted Nugent headlining a PETA-sponsored party), but it felt perfectly natural to see the four original Jane's members--vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery--rocking out onstage while pretty Playboy Bunnies mingled with drooling male fans (who grew all that more appreciative of the shapely hosts with every trip to the open bar).

It was supposed to be a surprise that Jane's Addiction was headlining the Playboy party, with the official announcement only coming once the band took the stage, but everybody in line outside the venue seemed to know that Farrell and his mates would make the scene. Chalk that one up to the wonders of the blog-o-sphere.

The band sounded strong as it rocked through approximately an hour's worth of fan favorites. The flamboyant Farrell and reality TV star Navarro get all the publicity, but it's the rhythm section of Perkins and Avery (who left the band in 1991 and rejoined last year) that really makes this band special.

Highlights included a blistering take on "Mountain Song," the tuneful "Jane Says" and the always-fun "Been Caught Stealing," which combined to show why Jane's Addiction is still considered one of the most important groups in alt-rock history.

In all, the band, which did a handful of one-off dates in 2008, seemed ready for its full-fledged reunion tour, which gets its start May 8 in West Palm Beach, FL, and is currently scheduled to last through mid-June. It will be a co-headlining trek with Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails, marking the first time the groups have toured together since the inaugural Lollapalooza in 1991.