Perry Farrell has broken his silence following his onstage brawl with guitarist Dave Navarro, which resulted in Jane’s Addiction cancelling the remainder of their tour.
Navarro announced Monday that the band will no longer tour, blaming Farrell for “mental health issues” after they got into a fight during a concert in Boston last Friday.
Farrell, 65, has now apologized to his bandmates and fans of the group for his “inexcusable behavior.”
“This weekend has been incredibly difficult and now that I have had the time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday’s show,” Farrell said via Variety.
He concluded: ‘Unfortunately, my breaking point led to inexcusable behavior, and I take full responsibility for the way I handled the situation.’
His wife, Etty Lau, had previously attempted to defend Farrell’s behaviour by arguing that he was upset because his bandmates were playing too loudly.
Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell breaks silence on dramatic feud with bandmate Dave Navarro that forced the band to cancel tour (pictured above, last week)
Witnesses said Farrell began “yelling” at Navarro during “Mountain Song,” which escalated into a brawl during “Ocean Size.”
Attendees reported that Farrell “had a large bottle of wine with him all night, that Navarro and Avery kept chatting throughout the show and that they seemed angrier than usual.”
The Boston performance came a week after the band played two sets in New York City as part of a reunion tour after reuniting for the first time in 14 years earlier this year.
During the first night of the shows in New York City, Farrell told the audience at Pier 17 that he was not in good shape for the performances. The audience indicated that there seemed to be animosity between the band members.
Farrell told the audience, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have to be honest with you. There’s something wrong with my voice. I can’t get the notes out of it anymore.”
Bassist Eric Avery took to Instagram after the show to talk to fans, saying he was “looking forward to another opportunity at this spectacular rooftop venue tonight. I’m optimistic we’ll be better.”
In a review of CL Tampa the week before Friday’s outburst, one critic wrote that Farrell “struggled” and “went into a tailspin” when the band started playing “Mountain Song” after they had “downed an entire bottle of wine.”
Jane’s Addiction have cancelled their tour following an incident in which lead singer Perry Farrell punched guitarist Dave Navarro during a concert in Boston on Friday
Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell performing at Lollapalooza, Chicago, in 2016
He “deserted countless nonsensical tirades” about cow pastures, mushrooms and politics, the review said, stopping only when Navarro “deliberately played a loud, piercing chord on his guitar, almost to silence Farrell and get the show back on track.”
The review, written by critic Gave Echazabal, noted that Farrell took a sip of wine as he struggled to keep up with his heavy metal bandmates.
“Farrell either delivered the song late or incoherently, and it was difficult to reconcile his lackluster performance with the absolute, unmistakable power displayed by the band behind him,” Echazabal wrote.
He added that as you watched Farrell become fixated on the bottle of wine, “you almost got the feeling that this wasn’t the first bottle he’d uncorked that night.”
Disappointed fans said Farrell took a sip of wine before bursting out, which is said to be a common sight during his performances (pictured during a show in California in February 2024)
On Monday, the 57-year-old Navarro told his fans that the tour would not go ahead.
“Due to an ongoing pattern of behavior and mental health issues of our lead singer Perry Farrell, we have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to end the current U.S. tour,” Navarro said in a statement.
He continued: ‘Our concern for his personal health and safety, as well as our own, has left us with no other choice. We hope he finds the help he needs.’
“We deeply regret that we cannot accommodate all of our fans who have already purchased a ticket. We do not see a solution that would ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance every night.”
Navarro closed the statement with a heartbreaking message, adding, “Our hearts are broken. Dave, Eric and Stephen.”
This was the first tour in 14 years with the band’s original line-up.
The LA band formed in 1985 and did its first farewell tour in 1991. Band member Eric Avery left in 2010 in an aggressive manner.
Dayle Gloria, the LA club promoter who helped discover the band in 1986 and hosts the podcast Nightclubbing with Dayle Gloria, told DailyMail.com: ‘For people like me, who love the band, it’s hard to watch Perry Farrell fall apart.’
“We all hope that Perry gets the help he needs so that he and the band can one day relive the magic of Jane’s Addiction.”