Pearl Jam was forced to cancel a show in Vienna on Wednesday, after singer Eddie Vedder’s famous voice was damaged during a performance in France. The band — and the audience — at the show had to contend with air affected by the nearby wildfires, which have been fueled by climate change, that have raged there for more than a week.
“To all those who were anticipating a great Pearl Jam show tonight in Vienna, we were too,” the band posted on social media. “However, due to the extreme circumstances at the last outdoor site outside of Paris (heat, dust, and smoke from the fires) our singer Ed Vedder’s throat was left damaged. He has seen doctors and had treatment but as of yet, his vocal cords have not recovered. This is brutal news and horrible timing….for everyone involved. Those who work so hard to put on the shows as well as those who give their precious time and energies to attend….”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees promised refunds to ticket holders.
“As a band, we are deeply sorry and have tried to find options to still play. And Ed wants to play. There’s just no throat available at this time… So very, very deeply sorry. Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase. Thank you for understanding.”
According to their official website, Pearl Jam played 22 songs, including hits “Even Flow” and “Jeremy,” on Sunday at Lollapalooza Paris. A$AP Rocky and Imagine Dragons were two of the other performers at the festival.
The band made headlines earlier this month when video surfaced of Vedder kicking a fan out of one of their shows for resorting to violence. The rocker stopped the music when he saw a woman hit a man in the head and told her he’d seen exactly what happened.
Pearl Jam’s next scheduled concert is on Friday in Prague, after which they plan to move on to Amsterdam for two nights, beginning on July 24, and then kick off the North American leg of their tour in Quebec City, Canada on Sept. 1.
