Capping off their 17-song set at the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, California on March 5, Jane’s Addiction played their first new music in 10 years, a sobering ballad called “True Love.”
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Whether “True Love” will appear on Jane’s Addiction’s next album is unclear, but Farrell recently said the band is in a “great place” now and is writing new music. The band’s last release together was their fourth album The Great Escape Artist in 2011.
“We’d like to address the questions surrounding Dave and the upcoming Jane’s show,” read a statement by the band‘s singer Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, and drummer Stephen Perkins on their social media pages. “As a band, we are in a great place, writing new music, and the bond is tighter than ever. We all hope Dave can be out playing with us when he feels healthy and ready.”
For this tour, singer Perry Farrell, along with Jane’s bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, were joined by touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam), who has temporarily replaced Dave Navarro for the band’s upcoming 2023 tour in the U.S. and South America. Navarro was forced to bow out of this leg of the tour while he was still recovering from symptoms related to COVID-19.
“At first, there was a lot of weight on my shoulders,” said Farrell. “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.”
Farrell, who recently reunited with Porno For Pyros and has continued releasing new music with his Kind Heaven Orchestra, said that conflicting schedules had kept Jane’s Addiction from previously recording something together earlier.
“I love the guys in Jane’s Addiction and I want to record with them but I don’t know what their plans are,” said Farrell. “I’ll talk to them about it. These days it’s a little bit different. … Us older guys that are established now, there’s not really a need to come out with albums—although maybe one more album before I die, that would be awesome with Jane’s. And I think we could do it, too.”
Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images
