After Pearl Jam were forced to cancel concerts in Berlin and London last week due to an unspecified illness affecting band members, singer Eddie Vedder has spoken of what he described as a “near death experience” on their return to the stage at Barcelona at the weekend. .
In videos posted by fans, Vedder, 59, talked about the terrifying condition without revealing specific details about what the condition was. “Can I just say that last week felt almost like a near death experience?” Vedder said during the show at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. “It was very uncomfortable and it became scary. It felt like bronchitis in the chest. I felt like maybe you couldn't breathe, and maybe you wouldn't make it through the night, and maybe you should go to the hospital.”
After pulling out of a show at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 29, the band then canceled a two-night stand at Berlin's Waldbühne.
While Vedder didn't say who in the band was affected other than “a few of us,” he made it clear how much of an impact the scare had on his health. “You just realize how precious this life is,” he said. “How lucky we are to live on a planet where we can go and play with incredible people like the people in this room here tonight. So, it was a mind-blowing experience. I won't soon forget it. And we won't soon forget tonight.”
Last week, Pearl Jam announced the concert cancellations in a statement, writing on social media, “Despite everyone's best efforts, the band has yet to make a full recovery. The implications of this decision are not lost on us. We feel deeply that so many people spend their time, money and emotional energy to get tickets and then come see the band, and it's disappointing to have to let you down. We also appreciate the many people whose hard work goes into making these shows happen.”
The band's next appearance is at the Mad Cool festival in Madrid, Spain on Thursday (July 11). After a concert in Portugal on July 13th, the band will have a month off before picking up the Dark Matter World tour again on August 22nd in Missoula, MT.
Watch the fan video of Veddder's comments below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/pearl-jam-eddie-vedder-frightening-illness-show-cancellations-near-death-experience-1235727859/
