Fans posted dramatic video of the escalating confrontation and the enraged singer's removal from the stage.
Been caught sparring: A concert by the reunited Jane’s Addiction in Boston came to a sudden end Friday night when a clearly enraged Perry Farrell threw a punch guitarist Dave Navarro — and was restrained by crew members, still appearing physically agitated as he was hustled offstage.
Multiple audience members shared their dramatic video of the altercation from different vantage points in the crowd after the gig ended in calamity. The footage shows the band deep into playing “Ocean Size,” the 11th number in a set that usually stretches out to 14 or 15 songs, when trouble erupts between the two most famous members of the veteran band.
Related Stories
Some fans reported on social media that tension looked to have been brewing for several songs before things actually got physical. Video of the lead-up to the scuffle shows Ferrell fiercely grunting in the direction of the audience, before he turns to his right and begins issuing those bellows at Navarro, close up. He appears to aggressively bump shoulders with the guitarist, who eventually stops playing and puts a hand up to Farrell’s chest to establish distance. Then the singer appears to deliver a punch in the area of Navarro’s chest. At that point three men, including bassist Eric Avery, can be seen saying “stop” as they surround Farrell, who is finally forced offstage by the trio, still apparently struggling as he’s hustled into the wings.
Once Farrell was gone, the rest of the band — including Navarro — stepped to the front of the stage to give the crowd a gentler farewell, appearing calm as they hugged one another, applauded the audience, tapped their hearts and offered a peace sign.
The altercation immediately blew up on social media, with no shortage of jokes — including countless Oasis comparisons — along with more serious concerns expressed for the well-being of the band members involved.
“I was there,” tweeted @deanasc1 on X. “The crowd was bemused. Half pissed the show ended early and half excited we may have seen the last Janes A show ever.”
“Jane’s Addiction broke up before Oasis omg,” came a typical tweet, from the user @Tribecalledflex.
On setlist.fm, the notations section for the Boston show offered an ironic juxtaposition of trivia about the gig, reading: “Note: Stephen Perkins’ drum kit was outfitted with balloons in celebraton of his birthday. The set ended early after Perry Farell punched Dave Navarro.”
Press representatives for Jane’s Addiction and the tour promoter, Live Nation, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night.
Chatter had already circulated in social media about the Jane’s Addiction shows earlier this week in New York City, held at the Rooftop at Pier 51. At the first of two concerts there, Farrell admitted to the audience he was not in great vocal shape, reportedly saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have to be honest with you. Something’s wrong with my voice. I just can’t get the notes out all of a sudden.”The next day, bandmate Eric Avery posted to Instagram, “Looking forward to getting another crack at this spectacular rooftop venue tonight. I’m optimistic we will be better.”
The following night in New York, things indeed took a turn for the better, according to a reviewer for JamBase who wrote, “I had seen the reports of Farrell’s condition on Tuesday, so I had trepidation as Jane’s Addiction came on. All my fears quickly eased away as my first Jane’s experience was a great one. Farrell sang well, Perkins crushed it behind the kit, Navarro shredded and Avery anchored the band with his steady work on bass.… Some of (Farrell’s) stories were engaging and others rambled as he chugged from a bottle of wine. He also was fixated on a device that I’d imagine was supposed to add effects to his voice but didn’t have much impact to my ear. However, when it came to singing the songs, Farrell nailed most of them.”
Ironically, in light of what has since transpired, the singer halted a beef at the band’s second New York show. “Farrell actually stopped the latter tune after he spotted a fight in the audience,” JamBase reported. “Farrell had a fan named ‘Bobby’ make up with the crowd member he was feuding with.”
A review of the band’s Tampa show earlier this month in Creative Loafing may have offered a hint of where some tension between Farrell and Navarro lies. The Florida critic reported: “Farrell launched into many nonsensical rants about cow pastures, mushrooms, surfing, living in Florida, and arguing with his brother about politics … At one point, during one of his ramblings, Navarro deliberately cranked out a loud, piercing chord on his guitar, as almost to silence Farrell and get the show back on track.”
Jane’s Addiction’s first tour in 15 years is a co-headlining one, with another beloved ’90s group, Love & Rockets, sharing the bill.
Friday night’s fateful Boston show came about 20 dates into the groups’ dual tour itinerary, with 15 left to go. As of this writing, the tour is still scheduled to continue and wrap up Oct. 16 at L.A.’s YouTube Theater, returning to where the group already successfully performed once near the beginning of their outing in mid-August.
More from Variety
Most Popular
Must Read
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
More From Our Brands
ad
