Last Wednesday (July 16th), it was announced that the members of Jane’s Addiction – Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins – were suing frontman Perry Farrell for assault, battery, emotional distress, negligence, and breach of contract following his onstage outburst during a Boston show in September 2024. They are seeking at least $10 million in damages as a result of the major financial losses caused by the cancellation of their tour and new album.
The lawsuit alleges Farrell suffered from ‘apparent intoxication’ at multiple shows and ‘mumbled rants as he drank from a wine bottle onstage.’
That same day, Farrell filed a legal complaint of his own, alleging that his former bandmates had violated their contracts when they cancelled the tour without consulting him. He also accused them of using him as a “scapegoat” and conducting “a years-long bullying campaign” that is “destroying [his] reputation.”
While all of the focus may be on the members of Jane’s Addiction, there is another victim in this whole mess that many people seem to be forgetting about: the band’s crew – who lost their jobs amid all of this drama.
Now, Jane’s Addiction’s guitar/bass tech Dan Cleary has taken to Instagram to share his perspective on the situation, addressing how the tour’s cancellation affected those who work behind the scenes.
“Don’t forget about the Jane’s crew. We delivered every single night without fail. Perry took accountability on Instagram afterwards, what happened to that guy? This whole thing sucks for literally every single person involved. And yet I still love this band,” Cleary wrote, seemingly referencing a September 2024 statement released by Farrell in which he apologized to his bandmates and took “full accountability” for his “inexcusable behavior.”
Cleary continued: “A lot of people lost work because of what Perry Farrell did on stage. I know the focus of the lawsuit is the band members, but they had a world class crew behind them every night who also lost 5 weeks of work and future tours. You know, the people in one bedroom apartments with roommates.
“So if Perry and [his wife] Etty (who actually are incredibly generous people) want to play hardball with the band who lifted him up every night, they are also hurting their crew. I will always speak up for the people I work with.”
