Dave Navarro was meant to mark a triumphant return to playing live with Jane’s Addiction in 2024. But it proved short-lived after vocalist Penny Farrell attacked the guitarist onstage in September, bringing the show — and the rest of the tour — to a disastrous end.
It was particularly painful for Navarro. He’d missed the band’s 2022 reunion shows — performed with Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen — due to the effects of Long COVID. .
Two years later, Navarro made a celebrated and suitably fiery return to the band during an intimate London show, marking the first time the classic lineup — completed by bass player Eric Avery, and drummer Stephen Perkins — had performed together since 2010.
More European dates and a U.S. tour followed, but their reunion prematurely and unceremoniously ended in Boston on September 13. Navarro was mid solo, performing “Ocean Size,” the 11th song of the evening, when Farrell punched him before being restrained by crew members. The rest of the scheduled dates were canceled following the incident.
Now it appears that Navarro, Avery, and Perkins are working together without Farrell. But it’s unclear whether this represents a new era for Jane’s Addiction, or a new project entirely.
Avery let the cat out of the bag on Instagram with a clip of himself recording a bassline. “Writing some more new lines to some of Stephen’s drumming,” read the caption. “Look forward to getting some Mr Navarro on them. 2025!”
The absence of Farrell’s name is telling. Following from comments Avery made to Bass Player last year, it seems the trio of musicians are keen to maintain momentum despite the band’s publicly aired controversies.
“If there is a Jane’s Addiction in 2025,” Avery said, “then there will be new music for sure. But you just never know if there’s going to be a band at all.”
The band dropped two singles, “Imminent Redemption“ and “True Love,” in July and September, respectively, last year. It was their first new music since 2011.
Avery had said he was “cautiously optimistic,” about new music from the band beyond those tracks, but didn’t shy away from the fact they’ve had fractious moments over the years.
When interviewer Andrew Daly noted that it sounded like all past differences had been put aside, he replied, “That’s definitely true. That bodes well for us continuing to work together under any circumstance. Whether it’s with Jane’s or not, we soldier on.”
Evidently, it appears Avery, Navarro and Perkins are soldiering on. That’s led to rumors that Avery and Navarro are reviving their 1994 Deconstruction side project. But questions remain about what part, if any, Farrell may play in their future.
Farrell’s behavior in Boston was reportedly due to the band’s loud stage volume. The singer has been suffering from a sore throat and tinnitus, which made performing uncomfortable. He’s kept a low profile since the incident, aside from a short apology he released: “Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation,” he had said.
When Jane’s Addiction first split in 1991, Navarro wasn’t short on opportunities to fill the void. He would eventually replace John Frusciante in the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, recording the devise One Hot Minute with the band before Frusciante returned to the fold.
Before that, he’d turned down a spot in Guns N’ Roses. In a recent conversation with Guitar Player, he justified his actions by claiming his “left of center” playing style wasn’t the right match.
