Jane says…the tour is over. Jane’s Addiction has canceled its tour midway through the band’s tour after frontman Perry Farrell allegedly punched guitarist Dave Navarro during the band’s show Friday (September 13) in Boston at Leader Bank Pavilion.
“The band has made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group. As such, they will be canceling the remainder of the tour,” the band said in a brief statement on Monday (September 16). Refunds will be issued at point of purchase.
Pharrell expressed his regret over the incident on Friday in a statement shared exclusively with Billboard “This weekend has been extremely difficult and after having had 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,” the singer said. “Unfortunately, my breaking point led to inexcusable behavior, and I take full responsibility for how I chose to handle the situation.”
In videos captured by fans and widely shared after Friday’s show, Pharrell is seen on stage singing to the crowd before turning to Navarro and shouting the lyrics, apparently in anger. The lead singer then makes his way to the guitarist, continuing his screaming, before slamming the guitarist with his body, backing away, then getting back in Navarro’s face to continue screaming as the actor — who appears confused — calmly holds Pharrell at arm’s length as the lead singer continues to scream. Pharrell then throws a punch at the guitarist, and a crew member comes on stage, repeatedly telling Pharrell to “Stop! Stop!” More crew members rush onto the stage to restrain the singer and remove him from the stage.
The following day, Jane’s Addiction released a statement via the band’s Instagram Stories. “We want to sincerely apologize to our fans for the events that took place last night,” the statement read. The band then announced that their next show on Sunday (September 15) at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater has been canceled.
Farrell’s wife, Ettie Lau Farrell, Share a statement Perry posted a video to her Instagram account after the altercation, explaining how she saw the situation, writing: “There was clearly a lot of tension and animosity between the members.. The magic that made the band so dynamic, well the dynamite was lit, Perry got in Dave’s face and body slammed him.”
“Perry was getting more and more frustrated, night after night, feeling that the stage was too loud and the band was drowning out the sound,” she continued, noting that her husband had been suffering from a sore throat and tinnitus. “But when the audience in the front row started complaining to Perry and swearing that the band was playing so loudly and they couldn’t hear him, he lost his temper.”
Etty praised Naffaro for trying to calm the situation, noting that the guitarist “still looked so handsome and calm in the middle of an argument,” while her husband was a “mad beast” for a while. “He didn’t calm down at all, he just broke down and cried and cried,” Etty added.
Jane’s Addiction — who have scored one Billboard Hot 100 single and three No. 1 Alternative Airplay hits since forming in the mid-1980s — was in the middle of a tour alongside Love and Rockets. The tour — produced by Live Nation — was scheduled to end on Oct. 16 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles.
See Jane’s Addiction statement below.
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