The band is taking time away following an on-stage incident
Jane’s Addiction has canceled the remainder of its 2024 tour following a physical altercation on stage in Boston last week. The band, which released a statement and canceled Sunday’s show, followed it on Monday (Sept 16th) with the news many people may have expected would be coming.
“The band [has] made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group,” the statement reads. “As such, they will be canceling the remainder of the tour.”
They state, “Refunds for the canceled dates will be issued at your point of purchase – or if you purchased from a third-party resale site like StubHut, SeatGeek, etc., please reach out to them direct[ly].”
In a separate statement, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins, and bassist Eric Avery, blame the cancelation on frontman Perry Farrell’s recent erratic behavior and mental health.
“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,” it reads. 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.”
Those issues were documented by the Tampa Bay Creative Loafing who wrote that Farrell “seemed off early in the set and his behavior seemed to spiral more throughout the night” when the band played the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on August 29th.
The news follows a cryptic Instagram message on Sunday that Navvaro posted with an acoustic guitar stating “Goodnight.”
Nine songs into their headlining set on Friday night at Leader Bank Pavilion, Farrell went on an explicit tirade before walking over to Navarro, body-checking him, and then throwing a punch.
On Monday (Sept 16th), Farrell released a statement to the media about the incident.
“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,” he states.
Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau Farrell, released a first-hand statement on her Instagram. She claimed Farrell’s frustration “had been mounting, night after night” after feeling “the stage volume had been extremely loud and his voice was being drowned out by the band.” She stated, “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 playing too loud and that they couldn’t hear him, Perry lost it.”
Several videos of the incident circulating on social media show Farrell taking frustration out on Navarro. Eyewitness reports indicate Farrell began shouting at Navarro during “Mountain Song” with the issues worsening during “Three Days.” Farrell finally attacked Navarro at the end of “Ocean Days,” abruptly ending the concert.
Navarro looked shocked by the move as crew members and Avery rushed Farrell, grabbed him, and told him to stop repeatedly as he lunged towards Navarro.
Etty Lou claims Avery “walked up to Perry, upstage, in the dark, behind [crew member] Dan, put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times. Kevin, crewmember with a long hair with long hair pulled Eric away. Then Eric nonchalant[ly] walked off to the front of the stage to apologize to audience for the show ended early.”
The band had dates scheduled through mid-October with co-headliners Love & Rockets. It was their first tour together since 2010.
— Jane’s Addiction (@janesaddiction) September 16, 2024
