Jane’s Addiction Frontman Perry Ferrell Apologizes To Dave Navarro & Bandmates After Onstage Fight With Guitarist; Tour Canceled
UPDATED with Farrell statement: Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Ferrell apologized this morning for a onstage confrontation he initiated with the band’s Dave Navarro in Boston on Friday.
In a statement issued to multiple outlets, Ferrell said, “This weekend has been incredibly difficult and after having the time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday’s show. Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation.”
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Ferrell’s onstage combustibility has long been a powerful feature of the band’s presence, with the singer often riffing between songs on issues both political and personal. But over the weekend his invective was turned directly on Navarro. The singer shouted at the guitarist during a portion of the band’s fierce, 1988-era howler “Ocean Size,” before getting face-to-face with Navarro and throwing elbows at him. Video from the scene showed several people restraining Ferrell and carrying him offstage, one of whom was said to be bassist Eric Avery.
The singer’s wife Etty Lau Farrell shared a “firsthand account” of what went down on Instagram, explaining that the band started the song “before Perry was ready and did the count off.”
“Clearly there had been a lot of tension and animosity between the members,” she wrote, “the magic that made the band so dynamic. Well, the dynamite was lit. Perry got up in Dave’s face and body checked him.”
That “magic” — and drug issues — has long bedeviled the influential band. After releasing two epoch-defining albums Nothing’s Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual in 1988 and 1990, the band split up in 1991. Navarro and Avery formed the group Deconstruction with drummer Michael Murphy, releasing one 1994 studio album. Navarro joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers for one album before being fired after a drug relapse. He later rejoined Jane’s.
Avery was more reticent. His own battle with drugs and a reported aversion to re-entering the Jane’s fray kept him away for years. He played with the group for a bit in the 2000s before leaving again in 2010. This tour has seen his return, which means the first reunion of the band’s original powerhouse lineup in over a decade.
The catalyst for tat reunion was a call from Farrell.
“We had what I considered to be the most meaningful and honest and respectful talk that we’ve had since the Jane’s 1.0 days,” Avery said in 2022. “I don’t mean to sound so ‘new age-y’ about it, but it was sort of a healing of a rift.”
Now, it seems, the band faces a rift once again.
PREVIOUSLY at 11:06 a.m.: Jane’s Addiction has canceled the rest of their tour following an on-stage fight between Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro.
A social media post said the band was going to take some time apart following the public brawl.
“To all the fans, The band have made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group,” read the statement on Instagram. “As such, they will be cancelling the remainder of the tour.”
The statement goes on to note that “refunds for the cancelled dates will be issued at your point of purchase.”
Navarro followed up with a more detailed statement about the band’s decision to take some time off, calling for lead singer Farrell to “find the help he needs.”
“Due to a continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell, we have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to discontinue the current US tour,” read the statement signed by Navarro, Avery and Stephen Perkins. “Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs.”
The statement continued, “We deeply regret that we are not able to come through for all our fans who have already bought tickets. We can see no solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis. Our hearts are broken.”
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