Perry Farrell, lead singer of Jane's Addiction, shocked fans by punching guitarist Dave Navarro during a performance in Boston.
According to a Daily Mail Online report, the incident occurred on Friday night due to tensions within the band and Farrell's frustration with stage volume issues.
Farrell's wife, Etty Lau, has spoken out to explain the reasons behind her husband's outburst. Lau took to Instagram to provide a first-hand account of the events leading up to the altercation.
She revealed that Farrell has been struggling with tinnitus and a sore throat, which have been affecting his vocal performance. The frontman reportedly felt that the stage volume was too loud, causing his voice to be drowned out by the band's instruments.
Lau acknowledged that there had been ongoing tension and animosity between the band members. However, she suggested that this dynamic was not entirely negative, describing it as "the magic that made the band so dynamic." The situation escalated on Friday night when audience members in the front row began complaining to Farrell that they couldn't hear him over the band's loud playing.
According to Lau's account, Farrell reached his breaking point after being heckled by fans. She stated that her husband "wasn't singing, he was screaming just to be heard." The incident occurred during the band's performance of "Ocean Size," approximately nine songs into their set.
Lau explained that the band started the song before Farrell was ready, and the stage volume was so intense that he couldn't hear past the boom and vibration of the instruments. By the end of the song, Farrell had resorted to screaming in an attempt to be heard over the music.
The altercation between Farrell and Navarro quickly escalated, with crew members intervening to separate the two and remove Farrell from the stage. Lau's Instagram post also revealed additional details about the incident, including an alleged confrontation between Farrell and bassist Eric Avery.
Lau claimed:
While Dave (Navarro) was keeping Perry at arm's length to de-escalate the situation, Dan (Cleary, a band technician) rushed over to de-escalate as well by holding Perry back. Dave walked away to take his guitar off. Eric walked up to Perry, upstage, in the dark, behind Dan, put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times.
Following the altercation, Lau described her husband as a "crazed beast" who eventually broke down and cried. She also criticized Avery's actions, suggesting that he either misunderstood the concept of de-escalation or took advantage of the situation to attack Farrell.
Reports from earlier performances on the band's reunion tour suggest that there were already signs of trouble within Jane's Addiction. At a show in New York City a week before the Boston incident, Farrell had informed the crowd that something was wrong with his voice and that he was struggling to hit certain notes.
Eyewitnesses at the Boston concert reported that Farrell had been drinking from a large bottle of wine throughout the evening, a behavior that has been observed at previous shows. Some fans expressed concern about the frontman's apparent intoxication and its impact on his performance.
The incident in Boston has raised questions about the future of Jane's Addiction's reunion tour and the stability of the band's relationships. Farrell's struggle with vocal issues, combined with the reported tensions between band members, may pose challenges for upcoming performances. The altercation between Farrell and Navarro has left fans wondering about the long-term implications for one of alternative rock's most influential groups.
