What Happened Between Perry Farrell And Dave Navarro? Jane's Addiction Boston Concert Incident Explored

Frontman Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro during Jane's Addiction's Boston concert, abruptly ending the show. Etty Lau Farrell later revealed details about backstage tensions.

By Sakina Kaukawala

Published on Sep 15, 2024 | 12:17 PM IST | 112.5K

Jane's Addiction (via Getty Images)

Jane's Addiction's concert in Boston on September 13 was abruptly cut short when frontman Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro on stage. The altercation, which was captured by fans at the Leader Bank Pavilion, occurred during the band's performance of Ocean Size, as per Billboard.

Farrell became visibly angry for unknown reasons and lunged at Navarro grabbing his shoulder and shouting at him. The argument quickly escalated, with Farrell eventually throwing a punch at Navarro, who appeared perplexed and attempted to figure out what was happening.

"What the f—?" Navarro was seen shouting as stage crew members intervened to restrain Farrell and take him backstage. Navarro then removed his guitar and exited the stage, abruptly ending the show after 11 songs, shortening the concert before the band's usual set of 14 to 15 songs. At the time, Jane's Addiction had not commented on the situation, and the reasons for Farrell's outburst were unknown.

Perry Farrell's wife, Etty Lau Farrell, talked about the incident on social media shortly after the concert. In an Instagram post, she addressed the growing tension within the band, which may have contributed to the altercation. According to Etty Lau, Perry had been extremely frustrated leading up to the Boston concert.

“Clearly there had been a lot of tension and animosity between the members,” Etty Lau wrote in her post, which included a fan-captured video of the incident. “The magic that made the band so dynamic… well, the dynamite was lit.”

She went on to explain that Perry had been having trouble hearing himself sing because the stage volume was too loud. This, combined with complaints from fans in the front row, appeared to push the frontman to the edge.

"Perry had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat every night," she said. "But when the audience in the first row started complaining to Perry, cussing at him that the band was playing too loud and they couldn't hear him, Perry lost it."

In her social media post, Etty Lau also revealed that the conflict between band members extended beyond Farrell and Navarro. She mentioned that Perry Farrell and Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery had gotten into an argument backstage. According to Etty Lau, the situation worsened when Avery put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times.

The Boston concert was part of Jane's Addiction's reunion tour, and it marked the band's first performance with its original lineup in 14 years. The tour, which began in early August, was highly anticipated by fans of the legendary alternative rock band.

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