Perry Farrell apologizes to Jane's Addiction bandmates for 'inexcusable behaviour' after onstage fight

Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell has apologized to his bandmates for the ugly scene in Boston on Friday when the vocalist attacked guitarist Dave Navarro during a show.

“This weekend was incredibly difficult and after having 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,” Pharrell said in a statement. First shared with Billboard.

“Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full responsibility for how I chose to handle the situation,” Farrell, 65, said several days after the tragic scene at Boston's Leader Bank Pavilion. The singer attacked Navarro during a performance of “Ocean Size.”

In fan videos of the moment, an agitated Pharrell lunges at Navarro and throws his bandmate a shoulder before punching the shocked-looking guitarist as the two men separate and drag Pharrell backstage.

Navarro, Stephen Perkins and Eric Avery issued a joint statement on Instagram Monday morning apologizing to fans for the disturbing scene and canceling the remainder of the reunited band's US tour. “Due to a continuing pattern of behavior and mental health issues with our singer Perry Farrell, we have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to cancel our current US tour,” the trio wrote.

“Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own left us with no choice. We hope he gets the support he needs,” they continued. “We deeply regret that we could not come for all our fans who have already purchased tickets. We do not see any solution that will either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably provide us The note was signed “Our hearts are broken.”

Additionally, a source said Billboard That Pharrell himself is “heartbroken” by his actions. “She realizes that she waited too long to prioritize her well-being. His fatigue and toll took a toll on both his physical and mental health. He had the best intentions to go on tour with the band and it seems he let his fans and family down.”

On Saturday, the band issued a statement on an Instagram Story announcing that Sunday night's planned show at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport had been canceled before announcing that the entire tour had been scotched.

Shortly after the onstage blow-up, Pharrell's wife, Etty Lou Farrell, issued a statement about the incident that contributed to thawing some of the background to what she said. “Obviously there was a lot of tension and animosity between the members.. the magic made the band so dynamic ok, the dynamite was lit,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a video of the onstage fight. “Perry's frustration grew as night after night, he felt the stage volume was too loud and his voice was being drowned out by the band. Perry suffered from tinnitus and sore throat every night. But when the front-row audience started complaining to Perry that the band was playing too loud and they couldn't hear him, Perry lost it.”

He also noted that on stage, Jane's bassist Avery “put Perry in a headlock and punched him three times in the stomach … Perry was a mad beast for the next half hour – he finally didn't calm down, but broke down and cried and cried Eric, well done. He either didn't understand what degradation meant or took advantage of the situation to take a few cheap shots at Perry.”

The beloved alt rock group was formed in Los Angeles in 1985 by Pharrell, Navarro, Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins and released two highly influential studio albums – 1988's Nothing shocking and the 1990s Ritual of habit — before embarking on their farewell tour as part of 1991's first Lollapalooza festival. Avery was long a hold-out on subsequent reunions, being replaced by Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea on the 1997 tour and then by Martin Lenoble and Chris Cheney on subsequent tours. The original four gave it another shot at a world tour in 2008, though Avery took time off again in 2010 before the release of the band's fourth studio album, The Great Escape Artist.

Avery returned to the fold in 2022 and, after Navarro's two-year absence due to prolonged COVID-19 effects, the guitarist returned to the stage this year for a North American tour, the first of the four original members in 14 years. The outing began in early August and was scheduled to last until mid-October. At press time the band's future status was unknown.

See Navarro's statement below.