The speed with which press cycles churn these days, it can be hard for anyone to maximize their time in the spotlight. So, it’s hard to begrudge Jane’s Addiction for taking this opportunity — two days after canceling a big reunion tour following an onstage altercation between bandmates Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro — to release a new single.
The track is called “True Love,” and the band actually debuted it live over a year ago near the end of a show in Bakersfield, California. At the time, the band’s onstage lineup featured Farrell, drummer Stephen Perkins, and bassist Eric Avery, who’d just rejoined the group, but Navarro was still off the road recovering from long Covid.
The new studio version of “True Love,” though, does feature all four core members of Jane’s Addiction, as did their July single, “Imminent Redemption.” Both songs mark the core lineup’s first music together in 34 years, since 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual. (Farrell, Navarro, and Perkins released the album The Great Escape Artist in 2011, followed by a 2013 single, “Another Soulmate.”)
While new music from the classic Jane’s Addiction lineup is certainly welcome, the timing is, of course, a little awkward. The band’s core lineup had finally embarked on their first tour together in 14 years earlier this summer, but the trek was officially canceled on Monday following Farrell and Navarro’s fight.
According to reports, tensions between the band had been simmering for some time during the tour, with Navarro frustrated by Farrell’s long-winded bantering with the crowd and Farrell unhappy with the onstage sound while battling tinnitus and a sore throat. Tensions finally boiled over in Boston during a performance of the song “Ocean Size,” with Farrell ramming his shoulder into Navarro’s back, yelling, and eventually punching the guitarist on his shoulder.
After announcing the tour would be canceled, Navarro, Perkins, and Avery issued a statement chalking the decision up to a “continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell.” They added: “Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs.”
Farrell shared a statement, too, saying, “This weekend has been incredibly difficult and after having the time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday’s show.”
From Rolling Stone US
