Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro: “There’s No Chance for the Band to Ever Play Together Again”
It’s been about eight months since guitarist Dave Navarro and vocalist Perry Farrell had an onstage altercation in Boston that led to Jane’s Addiction cancelling the rest of their U.S. tour. It seems like the whole thing has been quite rough on the band, which has led Navarro to give a less than inspiring update about the band’s future.
Navarro was recently interviewed for Guitar Player, where he lamented on what made that Boston show so terrible, and ‘how it’s unfortunately shaped the Jane’s Addiction’s trajectory for the near future. It’s a meaty statement, but you can dive into it below. It’s clear how much everything has changed since that show back on Friday, September 13, 2024 (omen, much?).
“There were a couple of gigs on this last run that we did last year in Europe with Eric Avery back on bass that were some of my favorite Jane’s Addiction gigs of all time. There was no bullshit: no props, no nothing onstage. No dancing, no pyro, and no gimmicks. It was just the four of us and some colored lights, and we were playing the songs, expanding on them, and getting in a kind of weird. If you combined Grateful Dead and Radiohead, there were moments like that — just weird, experimental jams that we’d never done before as a band. And yet, if you were to ask me what my least favorite gig was, it would be a gig last September, on Friday the 13th, in Boston.
“I have to speak in broad strokes here, because there are other individuals involved and it’s still very tender and unresolved. 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. And there’s no chance for the band to ever play together again. I have to say that’s my least favorite gig, without throwing animosity around, and without naming names and pointing fingers, and coming up with reasons. 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. There was no ego issue; it was just four guys making great music, just like we did in the beginning. I was just us on a stage, with people going fucking crazy. And that gig, September 13th, in Boston, ended all of that. And for that reason, that is my least favorite gig that I have ever played.
“I think that’s a pretty democratic way, you know, a pretty bipartisan way to go about it. You know, just the real sadness is the loss of that previous… The experiences are there, but the potential of having those types of experiences ended that night. And so, you know…. it is what it is. And that’s my answer.”
The concert in question happened at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston last September. Farrell seemingly started the spat by shoulder-checking Navarro and continuing to escalate the situation before the pair had to be separated. Jane’s Addiction nixed the rest of the tour a couple of days later, with remaining members Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery, releasing a joint statement citing the “continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell” as the reason.
Farrell addressed his actions as well shortly after, saying how “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.”
“Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation.”
