Jane’s Addiction cancels Toronto show, rest of tour, in wake of band altercation on stage | CBC News

Jane’s Addiction’s scheduled Toronto show on Wednesday is off, as one of the premier bands of alternative rock’s heyday cancelled the remaining dates on its tour after a stunning band punch-up at a Boston concert.

The band first cancelled Sunday night’s show in Bridgeport, Conn., apologizing to fans, but as of early Monday morning had not offered a clear statement with respect to the rest of the tour.

But that changed shortly after 11 a.m. ET when a statement went up on the band’s social media channels.

“The band have made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group,” a statement on their Instagram page read. “As such, they will be cancelling the remainder of the tour.”

Jane’s Addiction had over a dozen dates running through Oct. 16 left on their Imminent Redemption tour, as well as scheduled appearances at multi-act festivals in Missouri and Alabama.

The remaining slate was to begin at Budweiser Stage in Toronto, the lone Canadian date on their tour, on a bill with Love and Rockets.

Singer’s wife posted explanation

The fracas occurred toward the end of Friday night’s Boston show, as lead singer Perry Farrell confronted Dave Navarro, bumping into him while yelling at the guitarist. Farrell appears to attempt to throw a punch as a crew member and Eric Avery quickly intervene, with the bassist appearing to put Farrell in a headlock. 

Navarro stays away, taking off his guitar while briefly speaking to fans at the front of the stage.

Farrell’s wife, in a lengthy social media post on Saturday, offered an explanation for what transpired, saying the singer was frustrated about “screaming just to be heard” on stage.

“Perry’s frustration had been mounting [on the tour], night after night, he felt that the stage volume had been extremely loud and his voice was being drowned out by the band,” Etty Lau Farrell wrote in an Instagram post Saturday morning.

She said her husband had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat and “by the end of the song, he wasn’t singing, he was screaming just to be heard.” She said her husband later broke down “and cried and cried.”

Perry Farrell subsequently offered an apology for his behaviour.

“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,” he said in a statement.

On Monday, Navarro posted a statement on Instagram, which was attributed to himself, as well as Farrell’s other bandmates, explaining why it was necessary to cancel the tour.

“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 … tour,” it said.  

The statement also said the musicians “deeply regret that we are not able to come through for all our fans who have already bought tickets,” but they did not see an alternative solution.

The group had previously released a statement on the weekend offering a “heartfelt apology to our fans for the events that unfolded” in Massachusetts.

‘They gonna make it to Toronto?’

Fans on social media were left surprised by the onstage acrimony, and left wondering about the remainder of the tour.

“They gonna make it to Toronto next week?” one fan asked on Facebook.

“They might have to change their name to Perry’s Addiction for the Toronto show (if it happens),” another posted.

While Farrell has led various configurations of Jane’s Addiction for shows in recent years, the original lineup with Navarro, Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins had not toured together since 2010, as Navarro was unable to make dates they played in 2022 due to long COVID. The band began the current tour on Aug. 9.

Jane’s Addiction built up a devoted following beginning in the mid-1980s through club shows in the Los Angeles area  Their debut Nothing’s Shocking in 1988 was met with critical acclaim, while the 1990 followup Ritual de lo Habitual sold even more copies and saw their audience grow.

WATCH l Farrell on the dangers of mixing alcohol and performing:

The former Jane’s Addiction frontman is touring again.

The group earned five Grammy nominations related to those albums as well as the single Been Caught Stealing. In addition, Ferrell helped found the multi-media Lollapalooza festival featuring acts across music genres and support for progressive causes.

Jane’s Addiction released the albums Strays in 2004, produced by Canadian Bob Ezrin, and The Great Escape Artist in 2010.

The band’s statement said refunds for fans who bought tickets would be issued at point of purchase. Fans who bought on resale sites like StubHub and SeatGeek are being directed to contact those companies.