Dan Cleary, who has served as Jane’s Addiction’s guitar tech for over 17 years, recently discussed the altercation between frontman Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro during the band’s performance in Boston on September 13. The footage that went viral displayed Farrell shouting at Navarro before pushing him. Cleary revealed that this confrontation continued backstage, with Farrell allegedly striking Navarro in the face.
During the onstage incident, Farrell reportedly attempted to punch Navarro but was restrained by Cleary, bassist Eric Avery, and two additional individuals. The performance concluded abruptly, and Jane’s Addiction later announced the cancellation of the remaining tour dates. According to The Guardian, the band is currently on hiatus due to the singer’s claimed “mental health difficulties.”
On September 26, Dan Cleary joined host Todd Newman, a close friend of Navarro for over 30 years, on the #313 episode of Beantown Beatdown. During the 90-minute episode, Cleary shared insights about the challenges Jane’s Addiction faced leading up to the chaotic Boston show.
He mentioned that the conflict escalated backstage when Farrell’s punch made contact with Navarro’s face. Cleary provided audio evidence of the altercation, in which Farrell can allegedly be heard telling his wife Etty Lau that the band was “trying to f*ck”his show. A male voice, presumed to be Navarro, can reportedly be heard asking, “What the f**k was that, you motherf**ker?” . Following that, a scuffle is audible.
“[That’s] 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 commented about the audible noise.
Dan Cleary confirmed Jane’s Addiction is “no more”
During the podcast, Dan Cleary elaborated on the days leading up to the conflict during the Boston performance. Jane’s Addiction had recently reunited for a world tour, which included shows in the UK and Europe before arriving in North America. Cleary noted that the band’s tour was troubled from the beginning, suggesting Perry Farrell was “kind of off.”
Cleary recounted incidents where Farrell quit Jane’s Addiction in August, just before the opening show in Las Vegas, and needed management to persuade him to perform. He expressed that Farrell seemed primarily focused on the show’s production. Furthermore, Jane’s Addiction had agreed to function democratically to ensure consensus among its members.
Cleary mentioned that the band decided against having backup dancers on stage, a decision that received “immediate pushback”from Farrell since his wife Etty (a dancer) wanted to participate in the performance.
He noted one instance where Farrell missed rehearsal due to taking a camera crew to the desert to film a dance segment with his wife and other dancers to present to the band. This concept was not universally accepted by Jane’s Addiction members, with Cleary stating:
“It’s 2024, it’s a bit of a different time. You know, having scantily clad chicks on stage or on video, I don’t think it’s as empowering as maybe the Farrells might think it is.”
The situation seemingly created a rift within the group, resulting in what Cleary described as the three worst shows for Jane’s Addiction in Tampa and New York. He cited the first New York show as the worst he had ever seen, with Farrell forgetting the lyrics to some songs and mis-singing others.
Following the New York performance, an argument broke out among the band, but it was later resolved after members vented their frustrations.
Dan Cleary’s account of the Boston show fight
The guitar tech also shared his perspective on the events that unfolded during Jane’s Addiction’s Boston performance, which culminated in a physical altercation. He pointed to a video where Navarro was seen tapping Farrell’s arm, indicating, “What he’s [Navarro] doing is, he’s saying, ‘I’m gonna take my solo again, because you [Farrell] just sang over it a minute ago, and I stopped because you don’t know where you’re at.’”
At another moment in the show, Farrell noticed the other three band members huddled together discussing something. Cleary stated that the huddle was about show-related matters, but the singer misinterpreted it as a conversation about him.
According to Cleary, this triggered Farrell’s outburst, as he started walking around and yelling lyrics. During the song “Ocean Size,”Cleary recounted that Farrell became increasingly agitated before yelling at Navarro and body-checking him.
“I love Dave (and) it felt like seeing a little kid being bullied on the schoolyard for something he didn’t do. And he’s been through enough shit in his life and worked so hard to get back to this point. To see that happen just triggered something in me: ‘I’m not gonna let this happen to this guy.’ Eric had the same feeling,” Cleary commented regarding the fight.
Cleary explained that he and others tried to divert Farrell’s focus away from Navarro. Footage of the incident displayed four men attempting to restrain Farrell while Navarro distanced himself.
In the aftermath of the altercation, Jane’s Addiction canceled their upcoming performances, and both Farrell and Navarro released separate apologies. The band also discreetly launched their new single, “True Love.”
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