Jane’s Addiction Posts Apology After Onstage Fight, Cancels Show

Jane’s Addiction has issued an apology after lead singer Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro were involved in an onstage argument that turned physical on Friday, September 13.

In an Instagram Story, the band apologized to fans for fighting during their Boston concert at the Leader Bank Pavilion and announced a change in their reunion tour schedule.

“We want to extend a heartfelt apology to our fans for the events that unfolded last night,” the official Jane’s Addiction Instagram account wrote. “As a result we will be canceling tomorrow night’s [ September 15] show in Bridgeport.”

The post continued, “Refunds will be issued at your point of purchase, or if you purchased via a third-party reseller (StubHub, SeatGeek etc) reach out to them directly.”

News of the altercation between Farrell, 65, and Navarro, 57, spread online after concert attendees shared footage of the incident on social media. The footage appeared to show Farrell shoving Navarro while the band was performing their song “Ocean Size.”

Navarro reportedly tried to push Farrell back and security guards attempted to end the fight after the lead singer allegedly tried to elbow the guitarist.

Farrell’s wife Etty Lau Farrell addressed the situation in an Instagram post, suggesting that there was some discord between the band’s members.

“Clearly there had been a lot of tension and animosity between the members,” she wrote on Instagram, “the magic that made the band so dynamic.” She continued, “Well, the dynamite was lit. Perry got up in Dave’s face and body checked him.”

According to Etty, sound levels were to blame for the incident that broke out onstage.

Offering further insight, Etty explained, “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. Perry had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat every night.”

After security guards reportedly intervened, Perry “did breakdown and cried and cried,” Etty wrote on Instagram.

Jane’s Addiction, which is composed of band members Perry, Navarro, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins, was formed in 1985. The band split up in 1991, but have since reunited on multiple occasions, sometimes with slightly different lineups.

The original Jane’s Addiction lineup returned for the 2024 reunion tour. In 2022, the band toured alongside Smashing Pumpkins without Dave Navarro, who cited long covid symptoms as the reason he was unable to take part in a social media post.