Pearl Jam Tour Illness ‘Felt Like a Near-Death Experience’

The illness that compelled Pearl Jam to cancel several overseas tour dates in late June and early July has been described by Eddie Vedder as an experience that “almost felt like a near-death experience.”

On Saturday, July 6, the band made their return to the stage in Barcelona, Spain, while touring to promote their latest album, Dark Matter. During the encore at that show, Vedder performed an acoustic song solo, as is customary. This time, he chose “Just Breathe” and subsequently addressed the crowd to explain the illness.

“Can I just say that the last week, it almost felt like a near-death experience,” a visibly emotional Vedder shared. “It was very uncomfortable, and it got frightening. It felt like chest bronchitis. 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 and maybe you’d…,” he paused as the crowd clapped to support him.

“A few of us… it just felt… You just realize how precious this life is, 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 continued, his voice wavering as he found the right words. “So, it was a poignant experience. I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. And we won’t be forgetting tonight anytime soon.”

The singer then moved into playing “Wasted Reprise,” marking the first time Pearl Jam performed this track off their self-titled album during this tour.

Pearl Jam’s U.K. and European tour had commenced on June 22 in Dublin, Ireland. On June 28, the band issued a statement revealing that the June 29 show in London was “regrettably canceled due to illness in the band.”

The day following the scheduled London stadium show, Pearl Jam released another statement to fans, announcing that the two dates in Berlin, Germany would also be canceled due to the same reason.

With the band now back on their tour, it signals that things are hopefully back on track as Pearl Jam continues their world tour.

Source: Loudwire