Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready has finally explained why he smashed his guitar and pedal board in the viral video.
In a new interview with The Rock, the guitarist recalled the gig and what caused him to smash his equipment.
“What happened was, it was a European tour two tours ago. We had to cancel some shows because Ed got sick and I was like, ‘Oh my God we’re not going to be able to finish this tour, we’re going to have to end on not a good note,’” the guitarist recalled. “Then Ed got better and I was so excited to play our last show, it was in Amsterdam.”
Apparently, McCready was so excited to be back that he decided to break stuff. “So, out of excitement, I decided to destroy the guitar and my pedal board. I have a long career of doing that. In my early days, I’ve taken out 70-something, enough to wear the Fender guitars that I originally was with. [They] were really pissed at me because everyone they gave me I broke back in the day.”
After a few show cancellations due to Eddie Vedder’s vocal problems back in 2022, the concert on July 25 at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam went ahead. During the final song of the set – a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ – McCready attacked not only his Sunburst Strat but also his guitar amp and pedalboard.
Even after the Sunset Strat was left hanging by just its strings, the guitarist continued to slam the guitar to the ground, hitting a Line 6 DL4, before walking around the stage to say goodbye to the crowd.
The guitar was believed to be a 2021 Custom Shop version of his beloved 1959/60 vintage Strat – a $15,000 instrument.