On Friday night (September 13), Jane's Addiction canceled a show in Boston after frontman Perry Farrell assaulted guitarist Dave Navarro on stage. The band apologized and canceled Sunday night's show in Bridgeport, Connecticut, as a result of the incident. Jane's Addiction have now canceled the rest of their North American tour and will be taking some time off.
In a statement, Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins said they were canceling the tour due to Farrell's “continued pattern of behavior and mental health issues.” They added, “Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as ours left us with no alternative. We hope he gets the help he needs.”
In an additional statement, all four members of Jane's Addictions said they have “made the difficult decision to take some time off as a group.” Find both statements below.
The morning after the incident, Perry Farrell's wife, Etty Lau Farrell, gave some context to the apparent fight between her husband and Dave Navarro. “There was clearly a lot of tension and animosity between the members… the magic that made the band so dynamic,” he wrote. “Well, the dynamite ignited. Perry got up in Dave's face and body checked him.”
Farrell continued, “Perry's frustration had grown, night after night, he felt the stage volume was too loud and his voice was being drowned out by the band. Perry suffered from tinnitus and a sore throat every night. But when the audience in the front row started complaining to Perry that they were cursing him, that the band was playing too loud and they couldn't hear him, Perry lost it.”
He added: “Perry was a mad beast for the next half hour – he finally didn't calm down but broke down and cried and cried.”
Dave Navarro, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins:
Due to the ongoing pattern of behavior and 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 ours left us with no alternative. We hope he finds the help he needs.
We deeply regret that we cannot accommodate all of our fans who have already purchased tickets. We can't see any solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to put on a great show on a nightly basis.
Our hearts are broken.
Dave, Eric and Stephen
Jane's Addiction:
To all fans,
The band made the difficult decision to take some time off as a group.
As such, they will be canceling the remainder of the tour.
Refunds for canceled dates will be issued at your point of purchase – or if you purchased from a third-party resale site such as StubHub, SeatGeek, etc., please contact them directly.
Thank you,
Jane's Addiction
