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US alt-rock band Jane’s Addiction has announced they are parting ways after a tumultuous 15 months of fisticuffs, accusations and lawsuits.
The veteran Californian group, who have a history of drama, dust-ups and bust-ups, prematurely terminated the US leg of their reunion tour in September last year after an onstage altercation in Boston between frontman Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro led to blows and, ultimately, a $10m lawsuit.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Wednesday, the band wrote: “We have come together one last time to resolve our differences, so that the legacy of Jane’s Addiction will remain the work the four of us created together. We now look forward to the future as we embark on our separate musical and creative endeavors.”
Their statement on Wednesday, ostensibly written by Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, addressed the September 2024 incident: “After that show, without notice to Perry, we unilaterally determined it would be best to not continue the tour and made inaccurate statements about Perry’s mental health which we regret.”
One of the statements being referred to may have been that which was posted by Navarro on Instagram following the altercation, which was signed by himself, Avery and Perkins. “Due to a continuing pattern of behaviour 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,” it read. “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.”
Farrell apologised at the time, acknowledging in a statement: “ … it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday’s show. Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation.”
In July this year, Navarro, Avery and Perkins filed a $10m lawsuit against Farrell, alleging his “repeated and unprovoked” onstage attack on Navarro had caused the band substantial losses, due to the cancellation of tour dates and a planned album.
Farrell responded with a legal complaint of his own, accusing his bandmates of years of bullying and harassment.
The band’s apparently amicable statement on Wednesday suggests legal proceedings may not be pursued after all.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, posted to his and the band’s Instagram accounts, Farrell again apologised for his behaviour during the Boston gig: “I’ve reflected on it and know I didn’t handle myself the way I should have. I apologize to our patrons and my bandmates for losing my temper and for disrupting the show.
“Jane’s Addiction has been at the center of my life for decades,” the former frontman continued. “The band, the songs, the patrons and the impact that we’ve had on music and culture mean more to me than any words I could ever possibly write down. My aim has always been to give our audience the best possible show, something real, honest and positive. In Boston, we fell short of that, and I’m truly sorry to everyone who was impacted.”
Formed in 1985 in Los Angeles, Jane’s Addiction helped define alternative rock with their first two studio albums, 1988’s Nothing’s Shocking and 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual – the latter featuring well-known track Been Caught Stealing. But the band was plagued from the get-go by internal tensions and members’ struggles with heroin addiction, and by 1991 they decided to call it quits – with the inaugural Lollapalooza festival, co-founded by Farrell, becoming their unofficial farewell tour.
The members went on to other projects – including a stint with Red Hot Chili Peppers for Navarro – but over the next two decades they sporadically reunited in various iterations of the original lineup, including a reunion tour in 2001 that led to their third studio album, Strays, and a 2009 tour alongside Nine Inch Nails.
Their 2024 reunion tour marked the first time the band’s original members had performed together since 2010.
