A photo has just surfaced of Dave Navarro backstage at Lollapalooza last year with his former Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmate Chad Smith. Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined the festival, and Jane’s Addiction were also on the bill. Navarro was fired by the Chili Peppers in 1998 after 5 years with the band, and he’s had icy relations with his ex-bandmates since then. Smith was the drummer for Navarro’s Spread project in the late 90’s. Navarro played guitar on one Red Hot Chili Peppers record, 1995’s One Hot Minute.
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea discussed seeing Dave Navarro and in an August 2016 interview with 101 WKQX at Lollapalooza. During the interview he did not admit to speaking to Navarro at Lollapalooza, like it is now clear that Chad Smith did.
“I was just watching Jane’s 5 minutes ago, having come up with those guys are the same time in the same town, and watching them through the years. I even played with them for awhile, and obviously Dave played in our band for awhile. Seeing them, it really triggers a cavalcade of a emotions and feelings, an old spirit of competition, but more than that, just grateful to see them. It brought back memories of all the time we spent together.”
He added, “Just growing, and kind of being excited by each other at different times. At least I was excited by them, I don’t know if they were by us or not. All bands of the same time, not always, but between certain bands there’s always an unspoken [rivalry].”
View the photo of Navarro and Smith backstage at Lollapalooza 2016 below.
