When at the end of 2023 Jane’s Addiction announced a UK and European headline tour featuring the band’s original members, frontman Perry Farrell looked forward to the run of dates in his usual charismatic, ringleader-ish style. “It has been far too long, my Jane’s Addiction family,” he said. “We can’t wait to see your faces again… Togetherness – roll on 2024!”
The problem with families is that some really don’t get on. For Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, their much-anticipated reunion (14 years since they’d last been on stage together) turned into a world of fighting, sniping and emotional tug-of-wars with a central character who thought everyone else was plotting against them. Togetherness? Not so much.
Footage from their show at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts, on Friday September 13, where Farrell bodychecked Navarro and then attempted to throw a punch at the guitarist, made for some of the most shocking rock viewing of the year, immediately went viral, and put a question mark over the future of one of the most influential bands of their era.
Look back on Jane’s Addiction’s tumultuous 2024 now, though, and you wonder if it could have been any other way. From the off, Jane’s were a band whose explosive alchemy was built on tension, the very sound they made – a mix of glammy swagger alongside riffs that pinballed from metal to funk to hard rock – born from the fact they were each coming at it from a different angle. It had started so well.
Their comeback show at London’s intimate Bush Hall in May crackled with the exhilarating energy of their early days, even if fans couldn’t help but notice Farrell’s vocal delivery was a little on the thin side. But that felt like a minor gripe in the face of the euphoric vibes in the room. It was the first gig back, people assumed, and he’s easing himself in.
They soon had the wind in the sails, receiving rave reviews for a slot at Bearded Theory festival, and more headline performances across the UK and Europe. By the end of that jaunt they were enthused enough by the experience to unveil the first new song by the original quartet in more than three decades. Introducing Imminent Redemption, the band said: “Welcome to the next chapter of Jane’s Addiction. Imminent Redemption is only the beginning.”
It was the beginning of something, alright – but it was of the end. The friction was starting to show. In one interview, Farrell revealed that they had recorded two new songs, but had also started arguing again. In another, more telling line, this time talking to Esquire, he outlined a current pet peeve of his. “Some of these musicians, they don’t care,” he said. “They’ll play loud. And if they think that the crowd loves you, they’ll play even louder.”
It’s hard not to assume Farrell was referring to his JA bandmates – one purported reason for his meltdown in Boston is that he constantly felt they were drowning out his vocals. Unfortunately, the problems that led to the complete breakdown of Jane’s Addiction probably couldn’t have been solved by turning down an amp a teeny bit. From the off, the US leg of the tour was troubled. It began in Las Vegas on August 9, but almost didn’t begin at all.
In a revealing podcast interview with Rare Form Radio, the band’s bass and guitar tech Dan Cleary said Farrell had quit the band backstage over a row about visuals and on-stage dancers (Farrell apparently wanted some razzle-dazzle, the rest of the group wanted to keep it music only). The singer was persuaded to stay, but the cracks were showing.
The shows continued, some good, some bad, some very bad, with Farrell seemingly losing his way during certain songs. Which brings us to that fracas in Boston, which occurred midway through the song Ocean Size, Farrell perturbed that Navarro was playing a solo when he thought he should be singing. In front of a confused audience it was broken up by members of the band and crew, but Farrell went in for afters backstage.
Cleary later shared an audio clip of Farrell saying to his wife Etty that his bandmates were “trying to fuck my show up”, before a scuffle can be heard between guitarist and singer, this time Farrell’s punch connecting. It was a blow that would signal the end of Jane’s Addiction
Well, sort of. Amid the various statements flying round in the aftermath – one from the band declaring that the tour could no longer go ahead due to Farrell’s behaviour, one from Farrell apologising, one from Etty raising the issue of the on-stage volume – Jane’s Addiction snuck out a second new single. A contemplative ballad titled True Love, it now looks like being the final word for the original line-up.
But maybe this is the way it was always meant to end for the one, true version of Jane’s Addiction. Their volatility is part of what made them so great. And by god they went out with a bang.
