Jane's Addiction: End of a tour or end of a band?

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By TONE Scott

On August 7, 2024, Goldmine published an exclusive and expository article and interview, with Jane's Addiction bassist, Eric Avery, lead by the magazine's Editor in Chief, Patrick Prince.  The article—Bassist Eric Avery on a revitalized and “undiminished” Jane’s Addiction, was premised on Avery's experiences and outlook on a 'new and improved’ Jane's Addiction — a band that has had its share of controversy and yet has survived the decades, and held together its legacy fanbase, keeping them amply supplied and not detrimentally in want. It was the honest and free expressionism of Avery, with regard to the love for his band, that was the intrigue and the beauty of that interaction between the artist and Goldmine.  Little did the magazine, nor Avery himself have any inclination, that a month later, real life circumstances would change the trajectory of not only Jane's Addiction's current tour, but quite possible the permanent trajectory of the band.

Up until just days ago, Jane's Addiction had been married into a multiple-month's-long tour series with British rockers, Love & Rockets, in a concert run that has fed the hearts, minds, spirits and musical addictions (no pun intended) of a multitude of fans, that greatly revere one band or the other, or both. The tour itself was working its way back to Los Angeles, California (the birthing ground of Jane's Addiction), where both bands would finish-out a successful and fruitful tour at Los Angeles' YouTube Theater, on Wednesday, October 16 of 2024. As fate would have it (as fate basically has everything), the band's Boston tour-stop (Friday, September 13, 2024) would commence in absolute sonic perfection, with Love & Rockets performing flawlessly in front of a New England crowd, heating up the stage, to make segue for the show's  headliner.

In the past few days since, there has been much speculation as to what caused what would possibly be the catalyst of the abrupt and early end of the tour, not to mention the possible demise of a legacy band. Nevertheless, life happens and whatever the cause, it took place, and there is no rewinding the tape; there is only moving forward in whatever format fate might have for Jane's Addiction.  On that night, it was during the middle of Jane's Addiction's set, that the additional three members of the band, as well as the audience, would become increasingly aware of frontman Perry Farrell's, developing frustration, whether with his own personal performance or the lack of sonic competence that the sound crew may have been providing during the Jane's Addiction set. At this point there is no clarification on this.

Farrell had also been exemplifying incoherent behavior with regard to his performance and seemed to be discombobulated with regard to what lyrics he was singing, as they were not matching up with the band's set list. However, it was at this point that lead guitarist, Dave Navarro, motioned to Farrell, kindly and discretely, asking him over to the wing of the stage, which seemed to set the lead singer off. And in a quickly erupting tirade, Farrell would begin cursing the crowd, as well as his bandmates, ultimately physically attacking Navarro during the middle of their performance.  In an instant, both stage crew, and bassist Eric Avery would come to aid in diffusing the situation, as well as would Farrell's spouse, in a struggle to calm the lead singer down, creating an additional conflict between Avery and Farrell. It was at this point that the show stopped, and while the crowd wallowed in confusion, controversial music history was very likely and unfortunately being etched in stone.

Needless to say, the Love & Rockets / Jane's Addiction show has been indefinitely halted, and both the members of each band have been genuinely apologetic to the massive slew of fans over the course of the following days. In a message to fans on social media, Love & Rockets leader, Daniel Ash exclaimed, "We would have loved to have completed the rest of the dates of the tour with Jane's Addiction, but unfortunately the matter is out of our hands."  The day following the incident, Jane’s Addiction issued a statement via the band's official Instagram—“We want to extend a heartfelt apology to our fans for the events that unfolded last night”—as stated in their IG Stories post.  On Monday, September 16, in a statement made exclusively to Billboard, Farrell exclaimed, "This weekend has been incredibly difficult and after having 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.  Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation.”

As Goldmine will forever remain a major supporter of the band, we acknowledge that even rockstars are 100-percent human, and encounter choices that may lead to detrimental outcomes, just as any of us are capable of.  It is our hopes and wishes, along with the multitudes of fans, that the tenacity of the Jane's Addiction legacy will outweigh the events of Friday, September 13, and that all the band's members will find healing and reconciliation, and will once again, soon, grace us with Jane's Addiction magic.  ?

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Contact TONE Scott at [email protected]. Please put Janes Addiction article in the subject line.

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