Jane's Addiction bandmates sue each other over onstage fight that ended tour
Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery sued Farrell in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking at least $10 million, alleging that Farrell's behavior on the tour had ranged from erratic to out-of-control, culminating in the assault, where Perry punched Navarro both on stage and backstage.
'With a series of swift blows, he single-handedly destroyed the name, reputation, trademark, and viability of the Band and those who built it,' their lawsuit says.
Farrell and his wife, Etty Lau Farrell, sued the three bandmates in the same court Wednesday, blaming them for the conflict and the violence.
'Navarro, Avery and Perkins apparently decided,' the lawsuit says, 'that Jane's Addiction's decades of success should be jettisoned in pursuit of a yearslong bullying campaign against Farrell involving harassing him onstage during performances, including, among other tactics, trying to undermine him by playing their instruments at a high volume so that he could not hear himself sing.'
The Farrells said that Navarro and Avery actually assaulted them.
Perry Farrell said he was 'blindsided' when the other members canceled the remaining 15 shows of the tour and broke up the band without consulting him, costing all of them a great deal of money.
And he said his bandmates defamed him by publicly saying after the fight that he had mental health problems.
Jane's Addiction was an essential part of the Los Angeles music scene in the late 1980s with their combination of elements of punk, goth and psychedelic sounds and culture. They became a national phenomenon with hits including 'Jane Says' and 'Been Caught Stealing,' and through their founding of the Lollapalooza tour, whose first incarnations they headlined in 1991.
The group broke up soon after but returned several times in various incarnations. The 2024 tour was the first time the original members had played together since 2010.
Farrell missed all seven of the group's rehearsals in the run-up to the tour, his bandmate's lawsuit alleges, and his behavior during the early shows ranged from erratic to out-of-control.
'He struggled night to night amid public concern for his well-being and apparent intoxication,' their lawsuit says. 'Perry forgot lyrics, lost his place in songs he had sung since the 1980s, and mumbled rants as he drank from a wine bottle onstage.'
The lawsuit says Farrell was given many solutions to the volume problem, none of which he followed.
Then on Sept. 13 at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston in front of about 4,000 fans, videos partially captured Farrell lunging at Navarro and bumping Navarro with his shoulder before taking a swing at the guitarist with his right arm. Navarro is seen holding his right arm out to keep Farrell away before Farrell is dragged away.
But Farrell's lawsuit says the 'video evidence is clear that the first altercation onstage during the Boston show was hardly one-sided.' It says Navarro was deliberately playing loud to drown out the singer, and "what followed was an inappropriate violent escalation by Navarro and Avery that was disproportionate to Farrell's minor body check of Navarro."
Farrell alleges that when he was being restrained by a crew member, Avery punched him in the kidneys, and that both Avery and Navarro assaulted him and his wife backstage.
Shortly after the fight, Farrell in a statement apologized to his bandmates, especially Navarro, for 'inexcusable behavior.'
Both lawsuits allege assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract, among other claims.
'Now,' Navarro, Perkins and Avery's lawsuit says, 'the Band will never have their revival Tour, to celebrate a new album and 40+ years of deep, complex, chart-topping recordings. Instead, history will remember the Band as suffering a swift and painful death at the hands of Farrell's unprovoked anger and complete lack of self-control."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Denzel Perryman arrested for possession of assault weapon
Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman was arrested Friday in Los Angeles and faces a felony charge of possessing an assault weapon, TMZ reports. Perryman was headed to the gun range when the South Los Angeles Sheriff's Station officers searched his car. It is unclear why Perryman was stopped by police. TMZ reports officers found two AR rifles and three handguns in Perryman's trunk. The rifles are illegal in California. Perryman still was in jail Saturday morning, and he is due in court Tuesday. Per TMZ, this is Perryman's first felony charge. The Chargers drafted Perryman in 2015, and he played for them six years before leaving for Carolina. He was traded to the Raiders in 2021 and made his only Pro Bowl that season. He signed with the Texans in 2023 before returning to the Chargers in 2024.
New York Post
10 minutes ago
- New York Post
3 escaped prisoners who killed elderly US couple in Grenada learn their fate
Three escaped prisoners from the eastern Caribbean island of Grenada who were accused of killing an elderly U.S. couple last year after hijacking their catamaran have been sentenced. Ron Mitchell, a sailor in his 30s who was accused of being the ringleader, received two life sentences late Wednesday in the killings of Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel. Atiba Stanislaus, a farmer in his late 20s, received 60 years for manslaughter and nearly 18 years for the rape of Brandel, among other sentences, for a variety of crimes, including kidnapping. Advertisement 4 Three escaped prisoners from the eastern Caribbean island of Grenada who were accused of killing an elderly U.S. couple last year after hijacking their catamaran have been sentenced. RSVG Police Force 4 Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel are pictured above. GoFundMe Trevon Robertson, an unemployed man in his early 20s, received 56 years for manslaughter and other sentences for different crimes, according to local media reports. The New Today, a local newspaper, reported that prosecutors said the men bound and gagged the couple before throwing them overboard, with Mitchell accused of steering the yacht over Hendry. Advertisement The two bodies were never found. Police at the time said the men had escaped in late February 2024 from the South Saint George Police Station. 4 The New Today, a local newspaper, reported that prosecutors said the men bound and gagged the couple before throwing them overboard.. AP Advertisement 4 Police at the time said the men had escaped in late February 2024 from the South Saint George Police Station. AP They hijacked the catamaran Simplicity on the following day and then headed to nearby St. Vincent, where they were arrested, according to authorities. The nonprofit Salty Dawg Sailing Association had said that Hendry and Brandel were 'veteran cruisers' and longtime members of the association, calling them 'warm-hearted and capable.' It said the couple was spending the winter cruising in the eastern Caribbean.
New York Post
10 minutes ago
- New York Post
Flaco Jimenez, Texas accordionist who expanded popularity of Tejano music, dies at 86
Flaco Jimenez, the legendary accordionist from San Antonio who won multiple Grammys and helped expand the popularity of conjunto, Tejano, and Tex-Mex music, died Thursday. He was 86. Jimenez's death was announced Thursday evening by his family on social media. He was surrounded by family members when he died in the San Antonio home of his son Arturo Jimenez. 6 Flaco Jimenez, the legendary accordionist from San Antonio who won multiple Grammys and helped expand the popularity of conjunto, Tejano, and Tex-Mex music, died Thursday. AP 'Dad was in peace when he left. He started saying his goodbyes several days before. He said he was proud of himself for what he had done, and he just leaves memories for the public to enjoy. He said he was ready to go,' Arturo Jimenez told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Friday. Arturo Jimenez said a cause of death has not yet been determined. His father had been hospitalized in January after getting a blood clot in his leg. Doctors then discovered he had some vascular issues. Born Leonardo Jimenez in 1939, he was known to his fans by his nickname of Flaco, which means skinny in Spanish. He was the son of conjunto pioneer Santiago Jimenez. Conjunto is a musical genre that originated in South Texas and blends different genres and cultural influences. According to the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, the development of conjunto 'began more than a century ago when Texans of Mexican heritage (Tejanos) took an interest in the accordion music of German, Polish, and Czech immigrants. 6 Flaco Jimenez accepts the Lifetime Achievement for Instrumentalist Award during the Americana Music Honors and Awards show Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. AP The ensuing Tejano accordion music, accompanied by the bajo sexto (replacing the European tuba), soon came to represent the Tejano way of life, which was closely associated with working in the agricultural fields. The music remains unchanged and serves as a symbol that binds many Tejano communities in South and Central Texas.' Jimenez refined his conjunto musical skills by playing in San Antonio saloons and dance halls. He began performing in the 1960s with fellow San Antonio native Douglas Sahm, the founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet. Jimenez would later play with Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Ry Cooder, and the Rolling Stones. Throughout his career, Jimenez added other influences to conjunto music, including country, rock, and jazz. 6 Jimenez (pictured) was surrounded by family members when he died in the San Antonio home of his son Arturo Jimenez. / MEGA 'He always wanted to try to incorporate the accordion into all sorts of different genres and how to make the accordion blend in. That was always a fascination of his, and he was able to,' Arturo Jimenez said. In the 1990s, Jimenez was part of the Tejano supergroup the Texas Tornados, which included Sahm, Augie Meyers, and Freddy Fender. The group won a Grammy in 1991 for the song 'Soy de San Luis.' Jimenez also won another Grammy in 1999 as part of another supergroup, Los Super Seven. 6 Throughout his career, Jimenez added other influences to conjunto music, including country, rock, and jazz. AP Jimenez earned five Grammys and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He was also inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and the NYC International Latin Music Hall of Fame and was named a Texas State Musician in 2014. Arturo Jimenez said his father was a humble man who never wanted to be a showman and was focused on playing music for his fans. 6 Jimenez earned five Grammys and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. AP 'I've seen where fans come up to him and they literally cry and they thank my dad for all the good music and how dad's music has been there for them in multiple situations, either happiness or sadness,' Arturo Jimenez said. When Jimenez was named a 2022 National Medal of Arts recipient, the White House said he was being honored for 'harnessing heritage to enrich American music' and that by 'blending Norteño, Tex Mex, and Tejano music with the Blues, Rock n' Roll, and Pop Music, he sings the soul of America's Southwest.' 'We appreciate the gift of your musical talent, which brought joy to countless fans. Your passing leaves a void in our hearts,' the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum said in a post on social media. 6 Jimenez was also inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and the NYC International Latin Music Hall of Fame and was named a Texas State Musician in 2014. / MEGA Kyle Young, the CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, said Jimenez 'was a paragon of Tejano conjunto music' who 'drew millions of listeners into a rich musical world they might not have discovered on their own.' Jimenez lived all his life in San Antonio, a city that was 'very close to his heart,' his son said. 'They call him 'el hijo de San Antonio' and my dad always was proud of that,' Arturo Jimenez said, quoting a Spanish phrase that means the son of San Antonio. His family plans to have a private funeral service followed by a celebration of his life with the public.
