It was the final blow for Jane’s Addiction.
Guitarist Dave Navarro has ruled out a reunion for the “Been Caught Stealing” band after front man Perry Farrell punched him during a show last September.
“There’s no chance for the band to ever play together again,” Navarro, 57, told Guitar Player about the group’s future following the incident that abruptly cut short their concert at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion.
“There was an altercation onstage, and all the hard work and dedication and writing and hours in the studio, and picking up and leaving home and crisscrossing the country and Europe and trying to overcome my illness — it all came to a screeching halt and forever destroyed the band’s life,” he said.
Navarro is still bruised by the blowup. “It’s still very tender and unresolved,” he said.
Before that final show, Navarro says that Jane’s Addiction’s reunion tour had been going well.
“I’ll just say that the experience prior to that gig, when we were in Europe and gelling, really, for the first time — because at our ages, in our 50s and 60s, everybody’s done what they’re gonna do, and we weren’t competitive with each other — we were getting along,” said Navarro, describing the shows as “some of my favorite Jane’s Addiction gigs of all-time.”
“There was no ego issue; it was just four guys making great music, just like we did in the beginning,” he said. “It was just us on a stage, with people going f—king crazy.”
But that all came to a crashing halt when Farrell attacked Navarro. “That gig, September 13th, in Boston, ended all of that,” he said. “And for that reason, that is my least favorite gig that I have ever played.”
After that contentious concert, Jane’s Addiction canceled the remaining tour dates.
“To all the fans, the band have made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group,” the band said in a statement on its Instagram account at the time.
“As such, they will be cancelling the remainder of the tour,” the message read.
Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins, 57, and bassist Eric Avery, 60, released a separate statement, blaming Farrell for the altercation and tour cancelation.
“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,” they shared.
“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,” they added.
Then Farrell, 66, issued an apology on Instagram and sought help.
“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 wrote in response.
He added, “Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation.”
