The members of Jane’s Addiction have decided to go their separate ways following the band’s final and chaotic show in Boston more than a year ago.
The iconic rock group announced the end of their musical partnership in a Facebook post Wednesday that addressed the onstage fight between lead singer Perry Farrell guitarist Dave Navarro, which occurred at Leader Bank Pavilion on Sept. 13, 2024.
“After that show, without notice to Perry, we unilaterally determined it would be best to not continue the tour and made inaccurate statements about Perry’s mental health which we regret,” the Facebook post read.
“Today we are here to announce that we have come together one last time to resolve our differences, so that the legacy of Jane’s Addiction will remain the work the four of us created together,” the band wrote. “We now look forward to the future as we embark on our separate musical and creative endeavors. Jane’s Addiction will forever live in our hearts. We are proud of the music we created together.”
Farrell apologized for his actions in a separate statement as well.
“I’ve reflected on it and know I didn’t handle myself the way I should have. I apologize to our patrons and my bandmates for losing my temper and for disrupting the show,” the frontman wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday.
“Jane’s Addiction has been at the center of my life for decades… The band, the songs, the patrons and the impact that we’ve had on music and culture mean more to me than any words I could ever possibly write down,” Farrell continued. “My aim has always been to give our audience the best possible show, something real, honest and positive. In Boston, we fell short of that, and I’m truly sorry to everyone who was impacted. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank each and every one of you for your continued love and support.”
Jane’s Addiction was founded by Farrell and guitarist Eric Avery in 1985 in Los Angeles, California, the band’s AllMusic biography states. Best known for alternative rock hits such as “Jane Says,” “Stop!” and the Grammy-nominated “Been Caught Stealing,” Jane’s Addiction released two albums (”Nothing’s Shocking” in 1988 and “Ritual de lo Habitual” in 1990) before disbanding in 1991.
Several reunions resulted in more music and the band maintaining their “cult status” throughout the 2000s, the biography states. Back in July, Jane’s Addiction put out a new track with its original lineup for the first time in 34 years called “Imminent Redemption.” The new single came ahead of the band’s 2024 North American tour, which was their first trek with the classic lineup since 2010.
The Boston show on that tour was cut short after Farrell flew into a rage, yelled at Navarro, pushed him across the stage and threw a punch at him, according to videos posted from the show. Farrell was quickly restrained by crew members and taken off stage.
Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau Farrell, wrote on Instagram the next morning that the scuffle was a result of “a lot of tension and animosity” among the band.
“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,” she wrote. “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.”
Etty Lau Farrell also confirmed that the incident happened when Jane’s Addiction started the song “Ocean.” She said the sound was so loud that her husband “couldn’t hear pass the boom” and “was screaming just be to be heard.”
She also disclosed more of the physical altercation between the band members.
“While Dave was keeping Perry at arm’s length to de-escalate the situation. Dan rushed over to de-escalate as well by holding Perry back. Dave walked away to take his guitar off. Eric walked up to Perry, upstage, in the dark, behind Dan, put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times,” Farrell wrote. “Kevin, crew member with long hair pulled Eric away. Then Eric nonchalant walked off to the front of the stage to apologize to audience for the show ended early.”
She ended the post by mentioning how her husband “was a crazed beast for the next half an hour” and “did breakdown and cried and cried.”
Jane’s Addiction canceled the remainder of the reunion tour shortly after the incident, with the rest of the band’s members citing the singer’s “pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties” as the reason for the cancelation.
“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,” Jane’s Addiction wrote in a separate Instagram post “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.”