Jeans Addiction's concert in Boston ended prematurely on Friday after singer Perry Farrell punched guitarist Dave Navarro on stage mid-song.
As video footage from the show reveals, during the performance of “Ocean Size,” Pharrell became upset for some unknown reason, walked up to Navarro, and slammed his shoulder into the guitarist’s back. An aggressive and angry Pharrell then continued to yell at a confused Navarro, with the singer eventually landing a right-handed punch on his old bandmate’s shoulder:
“What happened?” Navarro asked as a crew member grabbed Pharrell; when the singer tried to avoid the crew member and attack Navarro again, two more crew members and even guitarist Eric Avery ran up to restrain Pharrell and take him backstage. Navarro eventually left the stage as well, and the show ended after 11 songs, three or four fewer than the usual show so far during Jeans Addiction’s now-threatened reunion tour.
according to diverseThe feud between the band members onstage in Boston has been escalating since the Core Four's first tour together in 14 years in August. At previous stops, Pharrell's lengthy conversations with the audience have left Navarro visibly frustrated onstage. diverse He also notes that several concert reviews reported that Pharrell drank a bottle of red wine on stage throughout the show.
But none of the early incidents — including two turbulent concerts in New York City earlier in the week — were a foreshadowing of what happened in Boston: JamBase reported that the trouble began during “Mountain Song,” when Pharrell yelled at Navarro. The altercation continued through the next song, “Three Days,” and ended with the “Ocean Size” stomp.
Jane's Addiction has yet to comment on the confrontation, and Avery's Instagram account – which posted numerous photos while the band was on the road – has also not mentioned the incident.
Liam Gallagher, an expert on band feuds, responded to the video of the Jeans Addiction brawl, saying: “Their attitude is disgusting.” When a fan joked that a similar incident had happened between Liam and Noel during the Oasis reunion tour, Liam replied: “I don't think we're very professional these days, we'll blow your mind.”
Jane’s Addiction’s reunion tour — for now — is set to continue Sunday night in Bridgeport, Conn. The trek itself is set to end Oct. 16 in the band’s hometown of Los Angeles. The tour marks the first time in 14 years that the band’s “Core Four” lineup — Pharrell, Navarro, Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins — have toured together, and comes after Navarro temporarily left the band amid a long battle with Covid.
