Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder reveals recent “near-death” experience
Shortly before Pearl Jam were set to play in London in June, the band took to social media to revea an undisclosed illness to a band member had forced them to cancel their show at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which frontman Eddie Vedder has now addressed.
Initially, the grunge icons didn’t reveal how many members had been affected or the nature of the condition. It was evident that the illness was serious enough to warrant cancelling several dates of their European tour following the London show and only now has lead singer Vedder shared details of the horrific ordeal.
Pearl Jam appeared in Barcelona on July 8th at Palau Sant Jordi, and were finally back in good health. During the performance, Vedder took the time to explain to fans how serious the illness was and his gratitude to be able to perform again. “Can I just say that last week almost felt like a near-death experience,” he revealed. “It was very uncomfortable, and it got frightening.”
Vedder continued to share the details of the condition that he and his bandmates found themselves in. “It felt like chest bronchitis. It was something. It felt like maybe you couldn’t breathe, and maybe you wouldn’t make it through the night, and maybe you’d have to go to the hospital,” he added.
As a result of the intense experience, Vedder has learnt to appreciate his life even more. “You just realise how precious this life is,” he mused. “How lucky we are to have been living on a planet where we can go around and play to incredible people like the people in this room here tonight.”
Vedder rounded up his speech by expressing his thankfulness for being able to play in Barcelona. “It was a poignant experience. I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. And we won’t be forgetting tonight anytime soon,” he said of the visit to Catalonia.
Pearl Jam cancelled several gigs upon coming down with the illness, leaving fans in London and Berlin hoping for a rescheduled date. However, refunds and cancellations were made, with the band stating that they are hoping to return to these cities in the near future.
Announcing their cancellation of these selected dates, Pearl Jam said in a statement, “Despite best efforts, rescheduling was not possible at this time due to existing schedule commitments.” They also emphasised how their decision not to play the shows wasn’t an easy one: “Please trust we never take these decisions lightly and try to do everything possible to show up for you all.”
The band are set to perform another show in Spain on July 11th for Mad Cool Festival in Madrid before ending their European tour with an appearance at Portugal’s NOS Alive Festival. They will then take to the road across North America.
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