Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro during a bizarre onstage tantrum that resulted in crew members dragging him offstage and abruptly ending the band’s Boston concert Friday night.
Farrell appeared upset and then told the crowd at Leader Bank Pavilion “fuck you” before marching up to Navarro and elbowing him.
Navarro seemed genuinely confused by what was happening, raised his hand and calmly backed away as Farrell approached him.
Farrell had to be restrained by crew members and bassist Eric Avery as he continued to throw punches.
After the lights dimmed and Farrell was led off the stage, Navarro, Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins returned to the stage, hugged each other, waved to the crowd and flashed peace signs.
Photographer Brian MacKenzie, who took photos of the reunion concert, posted on X that Farrell “had a huge bottle of wine with him the entire evening” and that concertgoers initially thought the confrontation was a minor incident between the band and the others.
Jane’s Addiction is in the middle of a reunion tour, its first in 15 years, and was scheduled to play the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Sunday.
As of Saturday morning, no one from the band had commented on the incident or whether the tour would continue.
Farrell told the New York Post in September 2022 that he missed the appearance with Navarro, who was battling long-Covid.
“I wish I still had my beloved guitarist with me,” he said. “How do you find a guitarist to follow in Dave Navarro’s footsteps?”
Formed in 1985, Jane’s Addiction was one of the first bands of the alternative rock movement of the early 1990s to achieve mainstream success, receiving five Grammy nominations along the way.