Eddie Vedder told fans during one of their shows that their recent health scare felt like a ‘near-death experience.’ The band had to cancel London and Berlin tour dates due to illness affecting several crew members but recently appeared back on stage this Saturday for their Barcelona show. The frontman told the audience about his experience:
“Can I just say that the last week, it almost felt like a near-death experience. 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.”
He also mentioned how the illness made them realize the preciousness of life and their gratitude for being able to perform for their fans:
“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. So, it was a poignant experience. I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. And we won’t be forgetting tonight anytime soon.”
How The Illness Possibly Occured
Pearl Jam shared the news with the fans on their social media accounts. They didn’t specify the illness, but Vedder told the audience that he had caught something after high-fiving fans in Dublin during Pearl Jam’s show in Manchester on June 25th.
The cancellations came one after another. The band first had to cancel their London show on June 29th. A few days later, their shows in Berlin on July 2nd and 3rd were also off.
You can listen to Vedder’s speech here.