Perry Farrell’s wife reveals reason behind Jane’s Addiction concert brawl

Etty Lau Farrell, the wife of Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, revealed the reason behind the band’s on-stage brawl in Boston Friday night.

She took to Instagram Saturday morning to give “a first person account of what happened on stage,” claiming “there had been a lot of tension and animosity between the members” of the band.

Jane’s Addiction had just started playing their hit “Ocean Size” on stage at the Leader Bank Pavillion when the 65-year-old frontman became frustrated that the band was so much louder than his vocals that “he was screaming just to be heard.”

Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell fight on stage during their Boston concert on Sept. 13, 2024 RMWhitaker/X
Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell fight on stage during their Boston concert on Sept. 13, 2024 RMWhitaker/X

“Perry’s frustration had been mounting, night after night, he felt that the stage volume had been extremely loud and his voice was being drowned out by the band,” Etty Lau wrote.

“Perry had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat every night. But when the audience in the first row, started complaining up to Perry cussing at him that the band was planning too loud and that they couldn’t hear him, Perry lost it.”

Video footage shows Farrell cussing in the microphone and approaching the band’s guitarist Dave Navarro before hitting him.

After Farrell was restrained by several crew members and fellow bandmate bassist Eric Avery, the concert ended prematurely.

Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell fight on stage during their Boston concert on Sept. 13, 2024 RMWhitaker/X
Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell fight on stage during their Boston concert on Sept. 13, 2024 RMWhitaker/X

Backstage, according to Etty Lau, Avery — who she claims “won the fight” — “walked up to Perry, upstage, in the dark, behind Dan, put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times.”

“Perry was a crazed beast for the next half an hour — he finally did not calm down, but did breakdown and cried and cried,” she continued.

“Eric, well he either didn’t understand what descalation meant or took advantage of the situation and got in a few cheap shots on Perry.”

Perry Farrell and wife Etty Lau Farrell in New York City on July 29, 2019. GC Images
Perry Farrell and wife Etty Lau Farrell in New York City on July 29, 2019. GC Images

The frontman had already experienced issues with his vocals earlier in the week, telling the crowd at NYC’s Pier 17 that “something’s wrong with my voice.”

Jane’s Addiction is slated to perform in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Sunday.