Dave Navarro has poured cold water on the last remaining cinders of Jane’s Addiction by saying that he will never play with the band again.
The electric guitar ace made the not-so-surprising revelation while discussing the best and worst gigs of his career with Guitar Playerwith what has now been confirmed as Jane’s Addiction’s last show getting selected for the latter – and for good reason.
The guitarist’s return to the band in 2024 was meant to be a cause for celebration. Having been sidelined with long-COVID for three years, he returned to action last summer and marked the occasion by playing a brand new song. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and Queens of the Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen had both filled in while he recovered, but few would have predicted the band’s demise would come so soon after his comeback show.
While playing in Boston, MA on Friday 13th September, vocalist Perry Farrell punched Navarro during Ocean Size. The gig was brought to an immediate end, and the band’s remaining tour dates were canceled shortly after.
Just days before the incident, bassist Eric Avery had told Bass Player that new Jane’s Addiction music was a possibility. Now, it seems the rest of the band are recording music without the singer, with a very interesting PRS involved.
The band’s guitar tech has since shed light on the reasons for Farrell’s aggressive behavior on the night, while Farrell’s wife, Etty, offered her husband’s side of the story. She also praised Navarro’s handling of the situation.
Now Navarro has spoken out about the night the band turned sour.
“There were a couple of gigs on this last run that were some of my favorite Jane’s Addiction gigs of all-time,” he says. “There was no bullshit: No props. No dancing, no pyro, and no gimmicks. It was just the four of us and some colored lights, and we were playing the songs, expanding on them, and (doing) weird, experimental jams that we’d never done before as a band.
“I have to speak in broad stroke,” he develops, turning towards the gig in question, “because there are other individuals involved. It’s still very tender and unresolved.
“There was an altercation onstage, and all the hard work and dedication and writing and hours in the studio, leaving home and crisscrossing the country and Europe and trying to overcome my illness – it all came to a screeching halt and forever destroyed the band’s life. And there’s no chance for the band to ever play together again.
“I have to say that’s my least favorite gig, without throwing animosity around. I’ll just say that the experience prior to that gig, when we were in Europe and gelling, we were getting along. There was no ego issue; it was just four guys making great music, just like we did in the beginning.
“And that gig, September 13th, in Boston, ended all of that. And for that reason, that is my least favorite gig that I have ever played.
“I think that’s a pretty bipartisan way to go about it,” he admits. “The experiences are there, but the potential of having those types of experiences ended that night. And so, you know…. it is what it is.”
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