Jane’s Addiction has canceled the remainder of its reunion tour, the first time the band’s original lineup performed together in 14 years.
“To all the fans, The band have made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group,” a statement released by the band on Monday read. “As such, they will be cancelling the remainder of the tour.”
The decision comes after an onstage physical altercation between singer Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro during Friday’s show in Boston. Concerns over Farrell’s mental health have also contributed to the band’s decision to call off the tour, according to a separate shared statement released by Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins on Instagram Monday.
Farrell later issued an apology on his Instagram Story Monday afternoon.
“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,” he said. “Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation.”
The tour cancellation announcement comes on the heels of the band canceling its Sunday show in Bridgeport, Conn., in the wake of the fight.
Refunds for the canceled shows will be made available to fans, the band wrote in its statement. Those who purchased from a third-party resale site like StubHub or SeatGeek were advised to contact the seller directly.
🚨 What happened?
The decision to cancel the tour follows a chaotic performance at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion on Friday, where a confrontation between Farrell and Navarro unfolded midshow.
In clips circulating on social media, Farrell and Navarro are seen confronting each other during the band’s performance of “Ocean Size.” Farrell tensely walks over to Navarro before he throws a punch. Three men step in to break up the altercation and move to subdue Farrell. Navarro eventually put down his guitar before exiting the stage alongside bassist Avery and drummer Perkins.
On Saturday night, the band apologized to fans and announced that it was canceling Sunday’s tour stop in Bridgeport, Conn.
“We want to extend a heartfelt apology for the events that unfolded last night,” the band wrote in its Instagram Story, Rolling Stone reported. “As a result we will be cancelling tomorrow night’s show in Bridgeport.”
By Monday, the band announced it had called off the remaining stops of the tour in its entirety.
🗣️ Farrell’s wife responds
Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau Farrell, took to Instagram on Saturday to share her perspective on the incident in Boston, explaining that her husband’s mental health struggles were triggered when the band began playing before he was ready.
“Perry had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat every night,” she wrote alongside a clip of the altercation. “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 also alleged that Avery escalated the situation by putting Perry “in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times” before returning to the stage to apologize to the audience for the show ending early.
“Perry was a crazed beast for the next half an hour,” she continued. “He finally did not calm down, but did breakdown and cried and cried. Eric [Avery], well he either didn’t understand what [deescalation] meant or took advantage of the situation and got in a few cheap shots on Perry.”
➡️ Concerns about Farrell’s mental health
In a shared statement on social media Monday, Navarro, Avery and Perkins addressed the situation, explaining that the band’s decision to cancel the tour was driven by Farrell’s ongoing mental health struggles.
“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,” the bandmates wrote.
“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.”
They also expressed concern for Farrell’s well-being, adding, “We hope that he will find the help he needs.”
🗓 Uncertain future
The tour had been a co-headlining venture with Love and Rockets, and was scheduled to conclude in mid-October in Los Angeles, with stops in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and more.
It remains unclear whether Jane’s Addiction will continue with plans to release a new album, which Navarro had told Rolling Stone in August was “more than likely going to happen.”
“We have recorded material,” he told the outlet. “I don’t know specifically the model, if it’s going to be a song at a time, or if we’re going to drop a song and then a record, or I don’t really know. I kind of stay out of that stuff. What matters to me most is that this stuff is on vinyl.”
An album would mark the first new recording featuring all original members in 34 years. A single, “Imminent Redemption,” was released in July.
