Jane’s Addiction Guitar Tech Says the Band is Done
A guitar tech for Jane’s Addiction offered more details about the band’s now-infamous onstage altercation during a show in Boston earlier this month and says he thinks the band “is over with.”
Dan Cleary has worked as a bass/guitar tech for Jane’s Addiction for 17 years. Cleary shares on the Rare Form Radio podcast that there were issues with the band before they even embarked on their tour. He and host Todd Newman, who’s a friend of guitarist Dave Navarro, suggest that Perry Farrell “quit the band” before the tour and was talked into doing the tour by management.
Cleary goes on to describe Farrell as “f—ed up” and was acting paranoid about seeing his bandmates congregating and talking together before the Boston show. Cleary says the Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins were talking about how to turn their shows around, since Farrell had previously delivered subpar vocal performances. This chat led Farrell to confront his bandmates and start “screaming lyrics at them, which was just strange.”
After the Boston show came to an abrupt end, Cleary says Navarro approached Farrell, but Farrell threw a punch at Navarro again. Cleary said Farrell “looked crazed” and said “something is going on mentally.” Clearly concluded by saying “I know this band is over with, but I really do hope that he’s able to figure [things] out.”
In the days following the Boston show, Navarro, Avery and Perkins issued a joint statement announcing the cancelation of the Jane's Addiction tour. They said, in part, “Due to a continuing pattern of behavior 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 current US tour. Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs.”
Since the tour’s cancelation, Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau Farrell, shared that he was seeing two medical specialists. In a post on Instagram, she wrote, ” … As you know, Perry is the gentlest of souls. We are equally astonished at Perry’s physical outburst as you are – but you must know that Perry must had been pushed to his absolute limit.. to that end we apologize.”
She continued, “We are taking a bit of time to ourselves, to reflect and to heal. Perry already has appointments with an otolaryngologist and a neurologist. If you know and love Perry well, you know there’s no need for me to address the other false narratives. Our souls know.”
Etty added, “With all of your love, kindness, compassion and support, you know, Perry will persevere.. He will recover. He will be happy again. He will once again be able to share his music, vision and artistry – unbridled.”
