Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro has continued the string of apologies from the band after last week’s onstage scuffle and subsequent tour cancelation.
While the band initially issued apologies for the incident and later for the tour cancelation and singer Perry Farrell took accountability and offered a personal apology to his bandmates, the latest mea culpa comes from Navarro. The guitarist provided some heartfelt contrition to the supporting acts on their ill-fated tour. That would be veteran rockers Love and Rockets and Crawlers who were providing opening sets on the run.
“I would personally like to apologize to @loveandrocketsofficial and @crawlersband and their crews for such a terrible outcome of what started off as an incredibly magical tour,” stated Navarro.
The guitarist then personally reflected on what it meant to have Love and Rockets on the tour, as he was clearly a fan of their late ’80s and early ’90s work that preceded and then ran during the same period as Jane’s Addiction’s initial heyday.
“@loveandrockets are heroes of mine and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to perform on the same stage as them for as long as I did. It truly has been an honor,” stated Navarro in a post through his Instagram Stories.
Love and Rockets formed in 1985 after the dissolution of Bauhaus. The band released seven studio albums between 1985 and 1998 before disbanding in 1999. A staple of the college rock scene, the band found success with the songs “Ball of Confusion,” “No New Tale to Tell,” “So Alive,” “No Big Deal” and “Sweet Lover Hangover” among others.
Crawlers, meanwhile, are just starting to make a name for themselves with 2024’s The Mess We Seem to Make album. That comes on the heels of a trio of EPs released between 2021 and 2023.
As you might expect, the events of the past week have left the members of Jane’s Addiction uncertain of what the future might hold. In reflecting on the potential end to the group, Dave Navarro shared that he found a kinship between the band’s current situation and in the examination of poet Walt Whitman’s poetry collection “Leaves of Grass.”
READ MORE: Jane’s Addiction Shows Prior to Scuffle Had Missed Lyrics + Apology
“I was re-reading Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and it occurred to me that there is a strong parallel between his work and that of our own,” suggested the guitarist. “The leaves represent the cycle of life and death, yet he continued to work on the body of poems until his own death in 1892. Perhaps he, like us, was unable to fully understand his own work as he continuously tried to re-write, add and expand upon it, willing away his own work’s cycle of life… just as we have.”
He continued, “Perhaps it’s simpler to recognize when something is gone and learn from the magical lesson of grief rather than avoid it and remain in a consistent state of dissatisfaction.”
Jane’s Addiction’s initial tenure was brief and fraught with tension. The band delivered two critically hailed albums in 1988’s Nothing’s Shocking and 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual, but by 1991 the signs of fracture were starting to show and they disbanded.
In 1997, they reunited for a brief period that resulted in the Kettle Whistle compilation album that featured two new songs with Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea taking over for Eric Avery on bass. A second reunion followed in 2001, this time leading to a new album that featured Chris Chaney coming on board for the Strays album. By 2008, Avery re-entered the picture but by 2010 he exited again.
In 2011, TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek handled bass along with returning bassist Chris Chaney on the band’s fourth studio album, The Great Escape Artist, while Chaney returned for live performances. In the years since, there has been scattered touring and discussion of new music. But things picked up steam again when Eric Avery returned in 2022 during writing sessions with the group.
Earlier this year in July, the classic Jane’s Addiction lineup with Avery issued their first new song in 34 years. It was a track called “Imminent Redemption.” Just last month, ahead of the band’s tour with Love and Rockets and Crawlers, Navarro told Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong, “I’ll just say, there is new music coming. There’s new music recorded that hasn’t been finished. There’s hope of a full album.” But with the band now off tour and on hiatus, it’s unknown if or when that other music might arrive.
Before alternative went mainstream, college radio stations was where you typically found the interesting new bands. Here are the songs that defined the era.
Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire
Play | Cover | Release Label |
Track Title Track Authors |
---|