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JANE'S ADDICTION apologizes for onstage fight

16-09-2024

JANE’S ADDICTION has apologized to fans for the onstage altercation in Boston that abruptly ended the band’s concert.

The September 13 show at Leader Bank Pavilion came to a sudden end after singer Perry Farrell bumped Dave Navarro‘s shoulder with his own before seemingly yelling at the guitarist. Navarro then placed a hand between himself and Perry before Farrell appeared to throw a punch at him. Another man then jumped between them, breaking up the fight.

Last weeked (Saturday, September 14), JANE’S ADDICTION offered a “heartfelt apology” and said it is canceling its next concert, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but gave no further details about the remainder of the tour, which is scheduled to continue through October 16.

“We want to extend a heartfelt apology to our fans for the events that unfolded last night,” the band wrote in its Instagram story. “As a result we will be cancelling tomorrow night’s show in Bridgeport. Refunds will be issued at your point of purchase – or if you purchased via a third-party reseller (StubHubSeatGeek, etc), reach out to them directly. Thank you, JANE’S ADDICTION“.

Earlier on Saturday, Farrell‘s wife Etty Lau Farrell provided a “first person account” of what happened during the Boston concert, writing in an Instagram post that there had been “a lot of tension and animosity between the members” and the “dynamite was lit” that night.

She went on to say that the altercation had been a culmination of Perry‘s “mounting” frustration due to the “extremely loud” volume of the band’s playing, and that her husband felt that “his voice was being drowned out by the band.”

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

“The band started the song ‘Ocean (Size)’ before Perry was ready and did the count off,” Etty continued. “The stage volume was so loud at that point, that Perry couldn’t hear past the boom and the vibration of the instruments and by the end of the song, he wasn’t singing, he was screaming just to be heard.”

Etty claimed that while Navarro had tried to keep her husband “at arm’s length to de-escalate the situation,” bassist Eric Avery “put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times.” She said a crew member was able to pull Avery away, and he “walked off to the front of the stage to apologize to the audience for the show ending early.”

Dave still looked handsome and cool in the middle of a fight,” Etty wrote. “Perry was a crazed beast for the next half an hour — he finally did not calm down, but did break down and cried and cried.

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

The Boston show was part of JANE’S ADDICTION‘s co-headlining tour with LOVE & ROCKETS, with 14 gigs left on the itinerary.

Navarro had missed JANE’S ADDICTION‘s tours in 2022 and 2023 because of a battle with long COVID. To fill Navarro‘s spot, the band brought on QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and ex-RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

Farrell admitted to the New York Post that he missed Navarro during the guitarist’s absence.

“I wish I would have my dear guitar player around,” Farrell said in September 2022. “But I live to bring entertainment and art to the world. And whatever I can do to entertain you, to blow your mind, that’s what I live for.”

In a recent interview with Guitar WorldAvery was unsure if JANE’S ADDICTION would be still standing in 2025.

“I still don’t know if we’re a band that you ever assume will be here a year from now,” he told the magazine. “That being said, yeah… there is a revitalization and a reconnection. Let’s hope it lasts.”

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