Dan Cleary, longtime guitar and bass tech for Jane’s Addiction, has claimed that vocalist Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro once more following an on-stage incident earlier this month. The altercation, which occurred on September 12, effectively ended the band’s first tour with its classic lineup in over a decade. Navarro later hinted on social media that the band might be finished, stating fans will “likely never hear” their new song “True Love” performed live.
In a recent interview on the “Rare Form Radio” podcast, Cleary, who has worked with the band for 17 years, recounted how the conflict continued after their Boston show was abruptly halted. He alleged that Farrell took another swing at Navarro backstage, reportedly hitting him in the face. Cleary also shared audio from that night, where Farrell can be heard complaining to his wife, Etty Lau Farrell, about other band members trying to “fuck my show up.” Footage from the performance indicated that Farrell was singing out of sync with the band.
Etty Lau had previously stated that the “stage volume had been extremely loud,” causing Farrell’s voice to be drowned out, and noted that he was suffering from “tinnitus and a sore throat.”
The audio also captured Navarro confronting Farrell, saying, “What the fuck was that, you motherfucker?” Cleary described the ensuing scuffle, stating, “You can hear Perry punching Dave, and that one, he actually connected with… You can hear it, the right hand to the left side of Dave’s face.”
Cleary and podcast host Todd Newman suggested that Farrell seemed to have “quit the band” even before the tour started. They claimed he was talked into performing at the opening show in Las Vegas at the last minute, saying, “Management earned their keep that day.”
Contrary to Etty Lau’s claims that Farrell reached a “breaking point” on September 13 due to technical difficulties and health issues, Cleary and Newman asserted that Farrell was already struggling as the tour began. However, they noted that Jane’s Addiction performed well when Farrell was “sober-ish” and when everything aligned properly.
Cleary explained that the band had previously agreed to operate as a “democracy” and decided against any additional visual effects or dancers for the tour. Farrell’s proposal to project a video of his wife and other women dancing in the background was reportedly rejected by the band. Cleary remarked, “The Farrells sort of couldn’t let go of this thing, to the point that before the first show, Perry quit the band.”
Newman, who was present for the Las Vegas opener, recounted how Etty Lau was “out in this public area yelling about how Perry is going home and the tour is over,” alarming Live Nation representatives responsible for promoting the tour.
Cleary observed that afterward, Farrell began to distance himself from his bandmates, leading to a lack of joyful interactions. Despite this, he stated that the band continued to support Farrell throughout the tour, helping him when he seemed lost during performances.
“There was talk that the fight in Boston stemmed from sound issues on stage, but I have to push back on that,” Cleary stated. He added that the three worst shows were indicative of Farrell being “clearly fu**ed up,” and he noted that the first of two shows in New York City was “the worst show I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Cleary clarified that it wasn’t alcohol causing Farrell’s erratic behavior but rather a mix of “emotional issues” and possibly “substances.”
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