Since their inception in Los Angeles in late 1985, the story of Jane’s Addiction has been fraught with intensity, tension, excitement, and drama. This weekend that drama reached unforeseen highs. Today, the band announced the rest of their tour with Love and Rockets will be cancelled, following frontman Perry Farrell’s shocking meltdown and on-stage altercation with guitarist Dave Navarro in Boston on Friday, September 13. Perhaps the news shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s still a major blow to thousands of fans anticipating the remainder of the band’s first reunion shows with their original lineup in 14 years.
The following announcement was posted on their official socials this morning: “To all the fans, the band have made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group. As such, they will be cancelling the remainder of the tour.”
Tue Aug 13 — Los Angeles, CA — YouTube Theater
While the band didn’t address the situation specifically, Navarro posted a more detailed response on his Instagram, signed by himself, bassist Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins: “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 US 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. We deeply regret that we are not able to come through for all our fans who have already bought tickets," he continued. "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. Our hearts are broken.”
It’s a truly unfortunate turn of events for one of alt-rock’s most influential forces. Before the likes of Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nine Inch Nails ruled the airwaves in the ’90s, it was the powerhouse of Jane’s Addiction that helped lay the foundation, turning rock ’n’ roll upside down with their enthralling hybrid of post-punk, gothic rock, classic rock, folk, and metal. For those who witnessed their early days in Los Angeles in the mid-to-late-’80s, we haven’t seen anything like their rise since then. The band originally imploded during the height of their success in 1991, with various reunion attempts, false starts, and line-up changes over the years (yep, Flea even joined for a stint in 1997, while Duff McKagan and TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek took on the role of bassist around the time of the band’s last album, 2011’s The Great Escape Artist).
Tue Aug 13 — Los Angeles, CA — YouTube Theater
“I’m just happy that Dave [Navarro] is back,” Farrell told us when we caught up with him just a few weeks ago in advance of the tour. “He’s fought really, really hard to come back, and he’s playing better than ever. He looks great. And we have a new type of friendship. Believe it or not, we didn’t used to like each other—too many cocks in the hen house. But now we’ve both settled down, and we both realized we’ve got work to do.”
Here’s hoping Farrell gets the help he needs, and that this isn’t the end to their story.
Tue Aug 13 — Los Angeles, CA — YouTube Theater
