Long-awaited ’90s band reunion tour canceled after stage altercation goes viral

While there’s a band in the U.K. that has been making headlines for reuniting and going on tour next year, there’s one thousands of miles away in the U.S. that is going viral for its members punching each other on stage.

A few days back, a clip of Jane’s Addiction’s frontman Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro exploded on the internet, in which they could be seen throwing hands at each other. The altercation took place at one of their gigs in Boston, after which the performance was immediately canceled. Their Connecticut show, which was scheduled to take place on Sunday, was also pulled. The band made a short statement about the cancellation, apologizing and insisting that the fans be reimbursed for the tickets.

This is how the incident played out: During one of the songs, Farrell started shouting at Navarro and then proceeded to punch him, with the guitarist trying to defend himself. Farrell was then escorted off the stage by security, as the show came to an abrupt end.

Jane’s Addiction was slated to tour multiple cities in the U.S. and Canada as a part of their reunion, marking the first time since 2010 that the original lineup of Farrell, Navarro, bassist Eric Avery, and drummer Stephen Perkins had gotten together. It started in early August and was slated to end on October 16 at the YouTube theater in Los Angeles, with English band Love and Rockets serving as the supporting act throughout. However, the band has decided to cancel the “Imminent Redemption” tour, breaking the fans’ hearts and leaving them concerned with Farrell’s mental wellbeing.

Meanwhile, Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau Farrell, gave her account of the incident, revealing that Farrell was unhappy with the band’s instruments drowning out his voice, and he had to practically scream instead of sing to make his voice heard by the crowd. She also revealed that while Navarro handled the assault calmly, bassist Eric Avery allegedly punched Farrell three times after putting him in a headlock once the cameras panned away.

Etty Lau also divulged that the singer suffers from tinnitus and constantly has a sore throat, and once the front crowd started complaining, Farrell was set off, which led to the altercation with Navarro. She has placed a serious allegation on Avery, blaming him for his extreme reactions towards her husband and not being sympathetic. Here’s what she had to say about the bassist:

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, crew member with long hair, pulled Eric away. Then Eric nonchalant walked off to the front of the stage to apologize to audience for the show end(ing) early.”

Etty Lau Farrell/Instagram

Prior to this incident, there had been rumblings of Farrell not being in the right state to perform in his upcoming shows, which included constant alcohol intake. Farrell’s behavior created “odd, uncomfortable” moments with Navarro, who grew impatient with the singer’s long rants after “chugging a full bottle of wine.”

Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, Jane’s Addiction was one of the most successful alternative acts of the ’90s, churning four studio albums across decades: Nothing’s Shocking (1988), Ritual de lo Habitual (1990), Strays (2003), and The Great Escape Artist (2011).