Jane’s Addiction Will Keep Going Despite Dave Navarro’s Illness

Jane’s Addiction will continue work on their upcoming album despite the absence of guitarist Dave Navarro, frontman Perry Farrell confirmed.

The band just completed their first tour with original bassist Eric Avery since 2010, but just before it started Navarro revealed his continuing fight with long COVID meant he couldn’t join them. He was replaced by longtime Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, with Josh Klinghoffer and Daniel Ash assisting at some shows.

“At first, there was a lot of weight on my shoulders,” Farrell told Alt Press in a new interview. “This was our return tour right after COVID, and we didn’t have Dave. Jane’s is a unique band, and you can’t just grab any guitar player and they’ll pick it up. That’s Dave Navarro we’re talking about – those are big shoes to fill.” But he added: “I had one of the best tours of my life. I just love at the end of the show seeing how many happy people there were. We got to them, and that’s the best feeling in the world.”

Avery reported: “It was a shared sense of [camaraderie], which translated into us really feeling like a band again. This time out, there was a real connection between the people onstage that I haven’t felt since 1986. We were all pulling in the same direction, and it was surprising in many ways. I think it’s really important for us to write new material.” Drummer Stephen Perkins said he was “excited about the future magic of this band,” continuing: “When we get onstage, I feel like we’re 20 again. The only reason to do it again is to create new music, and now with Eric involved, we are all inspired again.”

Jane’s Addiction started work on the new album earlier this year. Referring to Navarro’s health issues, Farrell said: “I don’t know who will end up recording the guitar tracks, but I’d love to see Dave, Troy, Josh and Daniel contribute — all the guys on the tour that really stuck it out.”