UPDATE (09.17): Perry Farrell has shared his own statement, which has been added to this story.
Jane’s Addiction have announced they are canceling the remaining dates on their US tour in the wake of frontman Perry Farrell’s mid-solo attack on guitarist Dave Navarro at a recent show.
The band’s statement reads as follows:
“To all the fans,
“The band have made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group. As such, they will be cancelling the remainder of the tour.
“Refunds for the cancelled dates will be issued at your point of purchase – or if you purchased from a third-party resale site like Stub Hub, SeatGeek, etc, please reach out to them direct.
“Thank you, Jane’s Addiction”
The statement follows the dramatic scenes that took place on Friday night (September 13)’s show in Boston, with fan footage capturing a visibly frustrated Farrell repeatedly missing song cues, verbally attacking his bandmates and landing a punch on Navarro before being restrained by guitar tech Dan Cleary and crew.
Fans had speculated that the band may break up immediately after the incident, particularly when Navarro posted a cryptic Instagram post captioned simply, “Goodnight…”, but this has since been followed by a statement signed by Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, who was celebrating his birthday on the night of the altercation. Their statement reads:
“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.
“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.
“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.
“Dave, Eric and Stephen”
Perry Farrell has since shared his own statement:
“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.”
Farrell's wife, Etty Lau Farrell, offered her own take on proceedings via Instagram, blaming “extremely loud stage volume” that resulted in “[Perry's] voice… being drowned out by the band”, and accusing Avery of punching the singer in the stomach three times following his restraint.
The singer had been struggling with his voice during the reunited outfit’s US tour, apologizing to a New York crowd for vocal problems two nights prior to the Boston show.
The band had recently released their first new single with their original lineup in 34 years, and had several more songs due for release over the coming months. The curtailed trek had also marked Dave Navarro’s return to the stage following his Long Covid battle.
Earlier this year, Navarro told Guitar World, “We’ve broken up like 30 times, so I’ve learned my lesson to be excited about where we’re at. It feels the best it felt in maybe ever.
“The inner turmoil added to the angst and the ferocity onstage. That doesn’t exist anymore, so we’ve moved into this new realm of exploration in sound, which is much more healing.”
Bassist Eric Avery, however, was more cautious, telling GW, “I still don’t know if we’re a band that you ever assume will be here a year from now. That being said, yeah… there is a revitalization and a reconnection. Let’s hope it lasts.”
