By Paul Robicheau

At the Leader Bank Pavilion, Perry Farrell was tackled after he pushed and punched guitarist Dave Navarro, abruptly ending the show a few songs early and putting the reunion tour of Jane’s Addiction’s original lineup in limbo.

Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction at Leader Bank Pavilion. Photo: Paul Robicheau

Perhaps the first premonition came in Perry Farrell’s opening broadside after he took the Leader Bank Pavilion stage with a raised wine bottle. “We can all agree on one thing — it’s football season,” the frontman of Jane’s Addiction oddly cried before hunching his shoulders to stomp like an ogre. “Let’s go, motherfuckers!”

Little did anyone know that 75 minutes later, Farrell would be tackled after he pushed and punched guitarist Dave Navarro, abruptly ending the show a few songs early and putting the reunion tour of the band’s original lineup in limbo.

But there were underlying signs of tension and uncertainty before that. Farrell seemed a bit detached during the set, spending an inordinate amount of time twiddling knobs on a podium console that controls his vocals. He’s long been mercurial onstage but seemed to be missing cues as the band often drowned him out (a frustration his wife acknowledged on Instagram after the show). He failed to project climatic lines like “Erotic Jesus!” in “Three Days” and “Coming down the mountain!” to kick off “Mountain Song.” In the middle of that song, Navarro (who had a few spoken asides with bassist Eric Avery during songs) tapped Farrell on the arm to stop his singing so he could take the guitar solo.

Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction at Leader Bank Pavilion. Photo: Paul Robicheau

It all came to a head in “Ocean Size,” which roared to life before the singer was in position. Farrell’s vocals eventually slid into agitated FUs as he motioned to his bandmates before he faced off with Navarro, bumping his shoulder from behind before landing a swing as the guitarist tried to hold him off. Navarro backed away as stagehands were joined by Avery (who appeared to apply a headlock and a couple of body punches) in subduing Farrell to walk him backstage. Avery, Navarro, and drummer Stephen Perkins then met up to wave to fans.

So otherwise, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln? Once the L.A. alt-rock pioneers warmed up with the murky “Kettle Whistle” and early nuggets “Whores” and “Pigs in Zen,” Jane’s Addiction began to hit its stride with the slashing, drum-peppered “Ain’t No Right.” Farrell seemed a bit off amid the space-reggae of “Ted, Just Admit It,” but found his footing atop the slithery bass lines of the ruminative “Summertime Rolls” (iced by a jazzy, Hendrix-ian guitar break from Navarro), paired with an unusual mid-set placement of “Jane Says.” Farrell continued to settle, riding Navarro and Avery’s twin acoustic guitars on that song. And when he was in the zone, his vocals — in a higher register than most older singers would attempt — were fairly spot-on.

But there was little question the rest of the band was sharper and more assured than Farrell, as Jane’s Addiction ripped into the atmospheric glory of “Then She Did” and “Three Days.” The latter 10-minute showpiece went from its brooding bass and glassy chords to Navarro’s solo of whammy-topped speed trills and Perkins’s explosive drum fills, including a pummeling whole-kit break that led him and Navarro to bump fists. Then came “Ocean Size,” and the show came crashing down. Ironically, the next song pasted on the setlist was “Stop!”

Jane’s Addiction at Leader Bank Pavilion. Photo: Paul Robicheau

True to its name, Jane’s Addiction sprang from L.A. in the late 1980s with a volatile stew steeped in drug use and hedonism as well as glam-punk, gloomy psychedelia, Zeppelin-esque dynamics, and itchy funk (yes, the hit “Been Caught Stealing” was also left on the setlist).  The group reunited with original bassist Avery for this tour and Navarro’s participation was delayed while he recovered from long Covid. There’s been talk about a new recording. But Friday left a whole lotta doubt going forward.

Oh, by the way, Love and Rockets opened the show with an hourlong set that proved the poppier offshoot of goth originators Bauhaus is more convincing on record than live. Kevin Haskins maintained a steady thump on electronic drums, while guitarist Daniel Ash and bassist David J traded vocals with a glammy nod to the band T Rex, but the hits “So Alive” (with vocal samples for its chorus) and “No New Tale to Tell” fell surprisingly flat to the electric guitar-fueled cover of “Ball of Confusion” and the galloping closer “Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man).” Fine yet forgettable, given Jane’s fireworks to follow.

Paul Robicheau served more than 20 years as contributing editor for music at the Improper Bostonian in addition to writing and photography for the Boston Globe, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He was also the founding arts editor of Boston Metro.