PHOTOS: Jane’s Addiction in Boston, MA (09.13.24)
Last Friday night as fans filed into Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA they were expecting a night of nostalgia from two of the biggest bands in the late 80’s/early 90’s alternative scene. When it was announced in May that the original lineup of Jane’s Addiction and English post-punk trio Love and Rockets were joining forces it drew palpable excitement from fans. The tour marked the first time in 15 years that all 4 original members of Jane’s Addiction were touring together, and the first extended US run for Love and Rockets since 2009.
However what fans were expecting and what they got were very different though, after stellar sets from support act Crawlers, and Love and Rockets, Jane’s Addiction got their turn, Perry Farrell struggled with vocals throughout the set, but was piecing together a satisfactory performance with the help of his band. But during “Ocean Size” things came to a boiling point and Perry engaged guitarist Dave Navarro, throwing a punch at him, leading to an abrupt end to the concert.
Fan filmed footage of the altercation was shared widely across social media:
By Saturday morning the events of the night had become international headline news with everyone including the Associated Press, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times picking up the story. Shortly after the incident, Farrell’s wife shared video of the altercation with her account of the what happened, stating:
“Rather than speculating, I thought to post a first person account of what happened on stage with@janesaddiction last night at the @lenderpavilion in Boston.
WHO: Perry Farrell & Dave Navarro
HOW: Clearly there had been a lot of tension and animosity between the members.. the magic that made the band so dynamic. Well, the dynamite was lit. Perry got up in Dave’s face and body checked him.
WHY: 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. 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.
WHEN: The band started the song Ocean before Perry was ready and did the count off.. The stage volume was so loud at that point, that Perry couldn’t hear pass the boom and the vibration of the instruments and by the end of the song, he wasn’t singing, he was screaming just be to be heard.
SO WHO WON THE FIGHT:
Why, Eric Avery of course. While Dave was keeping Perry at arm’s length to de-escalate the situation. Dan rushed over to de-escalate as well by holding Perry back. Dave walked away to take his guitar off. Eric walked up to Perry, upstage, in the dark, behind Dan, put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times. Kevin, crewmember with a long hair with long hair pulled Eric away. Then Eric nonchalant walked off to the front of the stage to apologize to audience for the show ended early.
WHAT WAS THE AFTERMATH?
Dave still looked handsome and cool in the middle of a fight. Perry was a crazed beast for the next half an hour – he finally did not calm down, but did breakdown and cried and cried. Eric, well he either didn’t understand what descalation meant or took advantage of the situation and got in a few cheap shots on Perry.
Well, that’s is my first person account narrative of what happened. Take a look at the video yourself.”
The group announced on Saturday that they were cancelling their scheduled show in Bridgeport, CT on Sunday, before announcing on Monday they were cancelling the remainder of their US tour and would be taking some time apart as a band. Avery, Navarro, and Perkins released a joint statement saying:
“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,’ Navarro said in a statement.
He continued: ‘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.’
‘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.
Our hearts are broken. Dave, Eric and Stephen.”
Farrell finally released an apology late on Monday saying:
“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,” Farrell said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation,”
You can scroll through photos from earlier in the show, before the fight broke out below.
Photos – Jane’s Addiction at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA on September 13th:
