SAN FRANCISCO -- Perry Farrell swayed from side to side on the stage in Golden Gate Park

singing in his distinctive nasal style at the "50th Birthday Party" for Israel event,

moved by the manic drum-beats of longtime bandmate Stephen Perkins.

But Farrell wasn't leading Jane's

Addiction, or Porno for Pyros. On Sunday, Farrell was front and center with his latest band, Gobalee.

Dressed in a dark red robe that didn't hide the green cursive

"Ritual" tattoo on the back of his neck and sporting a turban topped by

a yarmulke, Farrell looked like a triumphant little

prince as he read selections from David Ben-Gurion's (Israel's first

prime minister) Declaration of Independence. As Farrell read, the crowd huddled under the sound tent and

underneath a smattering of umbrellas in an attempt to stay out of the

heavy mist that was falling.

"Two weeks ago, we got this beautiful invitation," Farrell said at an impromptu news conference held in a nearby arts and crafts

building after the show. "I feel honored to do

this."

Farrell, 39, sat on a low wooden stool and

expressed his elation at having been selected to contribute music to the

celebration. "Different occasions call for different grades of

celebration," said Farrell, who co-founded Lollapalooza in 1991. "For this one, we decided we better be well-prepared and

very entertaining."

Joined by drummer Perkins and Karl Leiker on bass, Farrell and Gobalee

debuted two new songs driven by a drum-heavy tribal beat, including

"Happy Birthday Jubilee," as they played along with a tape of themselves

performing the new songs; the taped version included horns, as well as a harp solo that deviated from the one Farrell was performing live.

Farrell explained the circumstances that led the trio to perform in this

unusual manner. "This is as far as we've gotten," he said. "We're still making

songs up. We're still mixing and making the recording. It works in

such a way that we can play with what we've already layered in the lab

and then punch in, punch out, punch in and throw it down on DAT."

Rabbi Yosef Langer of the Chabad House, who has encouraged Farrell's

interest in Judaism and was instrumental in bringing him to the

celebration, praised Farrell's involvement with the festivities.

"Perry's an icon of alternative music," Langer said. "So many people use

music as a vehicle to express ourselves. In some ways, these are like

songs from the Bible put in a garment of New Age, alternative melodies."

Fans such as 21-year-old Jill Segal of New Brunswick, N.J., who counts

herself a longtime fan of Farrell's work, were similarly impressed with

the new material.

"It was great. I loved it," Segal said. "It's amazing. It seems like

years ago, personally he'd hit rock bottom, and then all of a sudden

he's bouncing around, full of energy and focused."

Not surprisingly, Farrell professed his belief in the power of the new

music. "Not everyone speaks the same language, but there's no denying

sound. It allows you to go forth into a person's heart. That can cause

a chemical reaction that can [allow them to] be soothed and remedied with music."