Rock band Jane's Addiction is dealing with the fallout of an on-stage altercation between lead vocalist Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro. The fight led to the cancelation of their U.S. tour, and now, Farrell is addressing the situation head-on.
"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, per Rolling Stone. "Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation."
Tensions between Farrell and Navarro reached a boiling point during their performance at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston on Sept. 13. Farrell's wife Etty Lau Farrell explained on social media that "there had been a lot of tension and animosity between the members."
"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," she said.
Farrell went on to punch Navarro, prompting bassist Eric Avery and two show crew members to try to get him off the stage.
After the incident, Navarro, Avery, and drummer Stephen Perkins took to Instagram to issue a joint statement on the situation.
"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 U.S. tour. 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," the statement read.
"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," the trio concluded. "Our hearts are broken."
All tickets will be refunded at point of purchase.
