Jane’s Addiction: Onstage Scuffle (Updated)
Frontman Perry Farrell assaulted guitarist Dave Navarro during Friday’s (9/13) Jane’s Addiction concert at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA.
The incident happened late in the band’s set, near the end of the song “Ocean Size” (a track from ’88’s “Nothing’s Shocking”).
Farrell aggressively bumped shoulders with Navarro and got in the guitarist’s face and swore at him. A confused Navarro asked what was going on before he stopped playing and put a hand up to Farrell’s chest.
At this point, the singer appeared to throw a punch at Navarro before being held back by a roadie and bassist Eric Avery who proceeded to restrain Perry as the road crew surrounded Farrell and forced the singer offstage. Navarro, who appeared upset by the altercation, threw a pick into the crowd before leaving the stage.
But there was more… Upstage, in the dark, Avery punched Ferrell in the stomach three times. Roadies pulled the bassist away, who then went to the front of the stage to be with the other band members to apologize to audience for the show ending early.
Navarro, Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, hugged onstage and expressed their appreciation to the crowd.
Backstage Ferrell had a sobbing breakdown.
So what triggered Ferrell? First, he may have been intoxicated/high. He was also upset that the band started “Oceans Size” before Perry was ready.
In addition, Perry felt the band was playing too loud, a complaint he’d expressed night after night, and that he had to scream the lyrics to be heard… though at this particular show he reportedly had been mumbling the lyrics throughout.
Contributing to the brewing troubles, there had been a lot of tension and animosity between the band members as Ferrell dealt with tinnitus and a sore throat every night of the tour.
The next day, the band offered a “heartfelt apology” and added it was canceling its next concert, in Bridgeport, CT. There was no announcement regarding the status of the co-headlining tour with Love And Rockets, which is scheduled to continue through October 16th.
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