Report: Jane’s Addiction frontman, Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell suing ex-bandmates

Jane’s Addiction band members could soon be reuniting — in court — after an onstage scuffle in 2024 led to the cancellation of the alternative rockers’ reunion tour.

First reported by entertainment media outlet Variety, the band’s frontman, Perry Farrell, filed a legal complaint Wednesday against former bandmates Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins. The court filing came hours after the trio filed suit against him. Variety reports that Farrell’s complaint against his former bandmates is not a countersuit, however, as the legal filing accuses Navarro, Avery, and Perkins of bullying, harassment, and more.

PREVIOUS: Jane’s Addiction cancels its tour after onstage concert fracas

Concerning the decision to cancel the tour following the Sept. 13, 2024 onstage incident, Farrell had no say, according to the legal complaint.

Farrell, in a statement to Variety, said, in part, that “Without warning or consultation and using Perry as a scapegoat, Dave Navarro and the other band members took it upon themselves to abruptly cancel the remaining tour dates—violating contracts and disregarding all professional obligations. Perry was blindsided by not being allowed to vote and be heard, leaving him unable to plead his case to continue the tour for their fans. ” 

Widely shared video captured Farrell and Navarro engaging in an altercation that turned physical. Video shows Farrell lunging at Navarro mid-concert, bumping the guitarist with his shoulder before taking a swing at his arm.  

Navarro attempted to restrain Farrell from further contact before crew members rushed the Lollapalooza founder off stage. Farrell later apologized for the “inexcusable behavior.”

The tour’s cancellation was announced shortly thereafter.

Farrell allegedly grew frustrated with his bandmates playing their instruments at high volumes while he sang, thus creating a safety issue, according to the complaint and various accounts in the aftermath of the incident. The Jane’s Addiction lead singer also alleges that Navarro assaulted him and his wife backstage, sparking the altercation.

Navarro took to social media days after the incident to say that the tour cancellation was a result of Farrell’s “continuing pattern of behavior” and “mental health difficulties.” Navarro, Avery, and Perkins seek more than $10 million in damages.

Jane’s Addiction’s “Imminent Redemption” tour in 2024 marked the first time in more than a decade that the band’s original line-up played an extended number of shows together. News of pending legal action comes just two weeks before Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park, which the Jane’s Addiction frontman created and conceived in 1991 as a then-farewell tour for the band.