Pearl Jam abruptly cancels shows after heat, dust damage singer’s throat
One of the iconic grunge bands that emerged from Seattle in the 1990s canceled multiple shows this week after its lead singer's vocal cords were injured while performing outdoors in Europe's brutal heat wave.
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs live onstage at BST Hyde Park, in London, Friday, July 8, 2022. (Photo by Alberto Pezzali/Invision/AP)
The longtime Seattle-based rock band Pearl Jam on Wednesday canceled a performance in Vienna, Austria, saying lead vocalist Eddie Vedder sustained damage to his vocal cords due to the intense heat and poor air quality from wildfires during a performance at Lollapalooza Paris on Sunday.
The band announced on social media that "due to the extreme circumstances at the last outdoor site outside of Paris (heat, dust, and more from the fires), our singer Ed Vedder's throat was left damaged."
On Thursday, the band issued a second cancellation notice, this time for a show in Prague that was scheduled for Friday. The band had hoped that Vedder would make a recovery in time for the Prague performance, but said in a statement that Vedder’s treatments were ongoing and there “was still no voice available.”
Pearl Jam played 22 songs during a two-hour show at the outdoor Lollapalooza music festival in Paris on Sunday, July 17. The band performed among notable headliners such as Imagine Dragons, A$AP Rocky and David Guetta. At that point, a major heat wave was beginning to spread throughout much of Europe, and in the days that followed, an all-time high-temperature record was smashed in the U.K. and in Paris the mercury rose to a scorching 105 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday.
The 2022 Lollapalooza festival in Paris marked the longtime event's first gathering after a two-year hiatus from COVID-19 impacts. The high temperature in Paris on Sunday topped out at 91 F as numerous wildfires began to break out in the countryside, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate.
The band expressed sorrow to fans for the abrupt cancellation, announcing that tickets would be refunded at the point of purchase.
"He has seen doctors and had treatment," the band said in the statement Wednesday, "but as of yet, his vocal cords have not recovered."
This is not the first instance when Pearl Jam has faced poor weather conditions during a performance. In July of 2013, the band hosted an outdoor performance at Chicago's Wrigley Field when an approaching line of severe thunderstorms threatened fans. AccuWeather forecasters sent a warning to the concert organizers, resulting in the delay and evacuation of the field and stands. Following the passage of the storms, Pearl Jam provided fans with a full show.
Typically, Parisians face low air quality levels due to vehicle exhaust and industrial pollution; however, smoke from wildfires burning in France has contributed to worsening air quality levels in recent days.
A true-color image of the smoke from wildfires burning in the Gironde department of France, captured on July 15 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite.
Fires have not been limited to France, with outbreaks spawning across regions of Spain, Italy and Greece this week. The combination of exceptionally dry soil and the intense hea twave gripping Europe has exacerbated the region's wildfire threat.
Flames also broke out across London, England, on Tuesday. London Mayor Sadiq Khan released a statement to The Independent on Wednesday that 41 properties were destroyed in the fires.
Pearl Jam has a history of making environmental advocacy one of its top causes. The band's latest album, Gigaton, tackles themes of climate change both in the song lyrics and the cover art. The album cover depicts a photograph of a melting glacier in Svalbard, Norway.
Lyrics to the song "Quick Escape" describe the fragile nature of the Earth and humanity fleeing to Mars, with Vedder singing, "And we think about the old days, of green grass, sky and red wine. Should've known so fragile. And avoided this one-way flight."
To commemorate Earth Day, Eddie Vedder spoke to astronauts aboard the International Space Station on the topic of climate change. The discussion covered global environmental impacts, agriculture, the rainforest and even wildfires, according to Rolling Stone.
The band is scheduled to travel to Amsterdam to take the stage at the Ziggo Dome Saturday and Sunday to complete the Tour, provided Vedder is back to full health.
The band's 2022 North American Tour kicks off in Quebec, Canada, on Sept. 1.
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