He was caught training in boxing: A concert by Jeans Addiction in Boston ended abruptly on Friday night when a visibly angry Perry Farrell threw a punch at guitarist Dave Navarro — and was restrained by crew members, still looking physically shaken as he was pushed off stage.
Several audience members shared dramatic video of the brawl after the show ended in disaster. The emotional outburst — which comes on the heels of some “unusual” moments in other cities that have already been the subject of discussion in reviews and on social media — has some fans waiting to see if the remaining shows on the band’s long-awaited reunion tour, their first in 14 years, will go ahead as scheduled.
Footage circulating online shows the band deep into “Ocean Size,” the 11th number in a set that typically runs to 14 or 15 songs, when trouble erupts between the two most popular members of the veteran band. Some fans on social media reported that tensions seemed to have been brewing for several songs before escalating to fistfights.
Video from the lead-up to the altercation shows Ferrell groaning heavily in the direction of the audience, before turning to his right and starting to shout those words head-on at Navarro. He appears to aggressively bump the guitarist’s shoulder during a solo, and Navarro eventually stops playing and puts his hand on Pharrell’s chest to mark the distance. The singer then appears to throw a punch. At that point, as the stage lights are lowered, three men, including guitarist Eric Avery, surround and grab Pharrell, who is eventually forced off stage, apparently still struggling as he is pushed backstage.
Once Pharrell left, the rest of the band – including Navarro – came to the front of the stage to bid a farewell to the audience, appearing calm as they hugged each other, applauded the crowd, tapped their hearts, and made the peace sign.
The altercation immediately exploded on social media, with no shortage of jokes – including endless comparisons to Oasis – alongside more serious concerns expressed for the safety of the band members involved.
“I was there,” he tweeted. @deanasc1 “The audience was confused. Half of them were angry that the show ended early and the other half were excited that we might have seen the last Janes A show ever.”
“Jane’s Addiction broke up before Oasis oh my god,” read a typical tweet from the user. @Tribecalledflex.
on playlist.fmIn the liner notes section of the Boston show, the section provided a sarcastic contrast to the trivia about the concert, stating: “Note: Stephen Perkins’ drum kit was festooned with balloons in celebration of his birthday. The set ended early after Perry Farrell punched Dave Navarro.”
Press representatives for Jane’s Addiction and tour organizer Live Nation could not immediately be reached for comment Friday evening.
There was already chatter on social media about Jane’s Addiction’s shows earlier this week in New York City, which took place on the rooftop at Pier 51. At the first of two shows there, Pharrell admitted to the crowd that he wasn’t in great vocal shape, reportedly saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have to be honest with you. There’s something wrong with my voice. I can’t get notes out all of a sudden.” The following day, bandmate Eric Avery posted on Instagram, “Looking forward to another chance at this amazing rooftop venue tonight. I’m optimistic we’ll be better.”
The next night in New York, things actually got better, according to References for JamBase “I saw the Pharrell status reports on Tuesday, so I was apprehensive when Jane’s Addiction came on,” he wrote. “All my fears were quickly dispelled as my first experience with Jane’s was a great one. Pharrell sang well, Perkins did a great job behind the kit, Navarro shone, and Avery solidified the band with his steady guitar work. … Some of (Pharrell’s) stories were engaging and others he rambled on while drinking from a bottle of wine. He was also obsessed with a device that I imagine was supposed to add effects to his voice but didn’t do much to my ears. However, when it came to singing the songs, Pharrell nailed most of them.”
Ironically, given what has happened since then, the singer stopped the fight at the band’s second New York concert. JamBase reported that “Pharrell stopped the final song after noticing a fight in the audience. He asked one of his fans, named “Bobby”, to make peace with the audience member who was fighting with him.”
Review of the band’s show in Tampa earlier this month at Creative loitering This may have been a hint at where the tension between Pharrell and Navarro lay. The Florida critic noted: “Pharrell spouted off a bunch of nonsense about cow pastures, mushrooms, surfing, living in Florida, and arguing with his brother about politics, among other incomprehensible comments” while “drinking from an entire bottle of wine throughout the show… At one point, during one of his ramblings, Navarro deliberately played a loud, piercing chord on his guitar, almost to silence Pharrell and get the show back on track.”
Jane’s Addiction’s first tour in 15 years is a co-headlining tour with another beloved ’90s band, Love & Rockets, who are sharing the tour.
Friday night’s ill-fated Boston show came about 20 dates into the band’s double-header, with 15 remaining. As of this writing, the tour is still scheduled to continue and conclude on October 16 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, a return to the venue where the band had already played one successful show near the start of its mid-August tour.
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