Eighties rock band Jane's Addiction issued an apology statement for canceling their previously upcoming performance in Bridgeport, Connecticut following lead singer Perry Farrell's onstage meltdown that led to him punching guitarist Dave Navarro at a show in Boston.
Farrell and Navarro had reteamed with drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery for a reunion concert tour, their first run of consecutive shows in 14 years.
The future of the tour was up in the air after the physical altercation halted the show, which was subsequently canceled for the remainder of the band's Boston performance.
On Friday night, cameras caught Farrell losing it on stage at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion during the song "Ocean Size."
As Navarro was performing a guitar solo, an angsty Farrell forcibly rammed into the guitarist. Farrell approached Navarro, who recoiled and blocked the lead singer with his forearm as he continued closing in on him once more.
Farrell then threw a punch at him, prompting crew members to physically intervene and de-escalate the situation.
You can watch the altercation here.
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Following Farrell's removal from the stage, the remaining band members threw up peace signs and exited after thanking the crowd for attending.
The Instagram account for Jane's Addiction issued a statement announcing the canceled engagement for Sunday night's Bridgeport appearance.
“We want to extend a heartfelt apology to our fans for the events that unfolded last night," wrote the band members on Instagram story.
They added refund instructions for the inconvenienced fans hoping to catch them live after a decade-and-a-half-long absence from the live music scene.
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Amid speculation as to what led to Farrell's rageful conduct, his wife, Etty Lau Farrell, attempted to clear the air on Instagram by explaining what went down.
"Clearly there had been a lot of tension and animosity between the members.. the magic that made the band so dynamic," she wrote. "Well, the dynamite was lit. Perry got up in Dave’s face and body checked him."
She explained that a sound issue was the root of the problem, writing:
"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."
"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."
According to her, the band started playing the song before Farrell was able to count them off and that the stage volume was "so loud at that point, that Perry couldn’t hear pass the boom and the vibration of the instruments."
"By the end of the song, he wasn’t singing," she said, adding, that "he was screaming just be to be heard."
Farrell's wife, who met the singer as a backing dancer for Jane's Addiction on the 1997 tour and married him in 2002, said bassist Eric Avery helped de-escalate the altercation by putting Farrell in a headlock and "punched him in the stomach three times" before a crew member named Kevin pulled Avery away.
She wrapped up her first-person account and said of her husband:
"Perry was a crazed beast for the next half an hour - he finally did not calm down, but did breakdown and cried and cried."
"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."
Social media users weighed in with their thoughts.
Some thought the lead singer's wife's excuse wasn't good enough for his irrational behavior, while others thought Farrell's physical violence sealed his fate.
Needless to say, the band was not in good shape, despite Avery posting a few days earlier that they aimed to "be better."
Sadly, Navarro announced the reunion tour was ultimately canceled indefinitely.
"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," he wrote on Monday morning.
He continued:
"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."
Navarro added on behalf of his bandmates:
"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."
The post concluded with, "Our hearts are broken. Dave, Eric and Stephen."
Despite the unfortunate update, fans showed support and compassion.
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@davenavarro/Instagram
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@davenavarro/Instagram
Jane's Addiction was one of the first alternative rock bands to emerge and experience commercial success during the '90s.
Their initial farewell tour in 1991 launched the first Lollapalooza, which has become the perennial alternative rock festival now held at its permanent location at Grant Park in Chicago.
The band remained somewhat active with tours and performances from 2012 to 2022 after Avery left the band in 2010 following tensions.
He rejoined in August 2022.
Due to complications from COVID-19, Navarro was replaced by the Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and the former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer for performances between 2022 and 2023.
Navarro returned to Jane's Addiction this year for the original band's full reunion, but it was to be short-lived due to recent events.
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