On Wednesday, March 18th, it was reported to be the day Pearl Jam kicked off their North American tour. However the four month trek has been postponed amid fears of the coronavirus.
On Monday, March 9th, the iconic rock band took to their social media outlets to break the news to their fans. Their post to Instagram read: “As residents of the city of Seattle, we’ve been hit hard and have witnessed firsthand how quickly these disastrous situations can escalate. Our kids’ schools have closed along with universities and businesses. It’s been brutal and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better,” they wrote. “So we are being told that being part of large gatherings is high on the list of things to avoid as this global health crisis is now beginning to affect all of our lives.”
The lengthy post continued: “Unfortunately, communing in large groups is a huge part of what we do as a band and the tour we’ve been busy planning for months is now in jeopardy… We have and will always keep the safety and well-being of our supporters as top priority,” the message continued. “So it is with deep frustration and regret that we are forced to make this most unfortunate of announcements… This scheduled first leg of our PJ/Gigaton tour will need to be postponed and shows rescheduled for a later date.”
“Again, here in Seattle what we are witnessing we would not wish for anyone,” the message concludes. What we do wish for the rest of the country is that they can avoid the harsh negative effects of this and retain their sense of community and take care of one another. Just as we look forward to our next concerts and the ability to gather together and play loud songs as energized as ever. We are so sorry… And deeply upset.. If anyone out there feels the same based on this news, we share that emotion with you.”
Pearl Jam is unfortunatrely not the only band to have canceled or postponed shows due to the global threat to public health. See Pearl Jam’s full announcement here.
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