Tomorrow night, Cubs fans will be treated to a solo by Eddie Vedder as he sings Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the seventh inning stretch at the Cubs/Padres game at Wrigley Field. He'll also be throwing out the first pitch. He's not slated to sing his original song, All The Way, but that's always available at the Ten Club website.
Also, fans in Seattle can look forward to August 8th, when Mike McCready will be playing the National Anthem at Safeco Field before the Mariners take on the White Sox. Buy your tickets now, and a portion of the proceeds go to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, and you can receive three limited edition guitar picks.
Pearl Jam has released a SiriusXM schedule for their recent European shows, debuting a new show every Wednesday and Friday for the next six weeks. Last year, the bootlegs went on sale at Ten Club a couple of days after the show aired on Pearl Jam Radio, so keep your eyes open.
Wednesday, 7/23 @ 2pm ET: Amsterdam 1 (6/16/14)
Friday, 7/25 @ 6pm ET: Amsterdam 2 (6/17/14)Wednesday, 7/30 @ 2pm ET: Milan (6/20/14)Friday, 8/1 @ 6pm ET: Trieste (6/22/14)Wednesday, 8/6 @ 2pm ET: Vienna (6/25/14)Friday, 8/8 @ 6pm ET: Berlin (6/26/14)Wednesday, 8/13 @ 2pm ET: Stockholm (6/28/14)Friday, 8/15 @ 6pm ET: Oslo (6/29/14)Wednesday, 8/20 @ 2pm ET: Gydnia (7/3/14)Friday, 8/22 @ 6pm ET: Werchter (7/5/14)Wednesday, 8/27 @ 2pm ET: Leeds (7/8/14)Friday, 8/29 @ 6pm ET: Milton Keynes (7/11/14)
Earlier this week, we considered the response of Pearl Jam's Israeli fans to Ed's anti-war speech last week in Milton Keynes. Today, Ed has something to say about the issue himself.
Most of us have heard John Lennon sing
“You may say I’m a dreamer,… but I’m not the only one.”
And some of us, after another morning dose of news coverage full of
death and destruction, feel the need to reach out to others to see if
we are not alone in our outrage. With about a dozen assorted
ongoing conflicts in the news everyday, and with the stories
becoming more horrific, the level of sadness becomes unbearable.
And what becomes of our planet when that sadness becomes apathy?
Because we feel helpless. And we turn our heads and turn the page.
Currently, I’m full of hope. That hope springs from the multitudes of
people that our band has been fortunate enough to play for night
after night here in Europe. To see flags of so many different nations,
and to have these huge crowds gathered peacefully and joyfully is
the exact inspiration behind the words I felt the need to emphatically relay.
When attempting to make a plea for more peace in the world at a rock concert,
we are reflecting the feelings of all those we have come in contact with
so we may all have a better understanding of each other.
That’s not something I’m going to stop anytime soon. Call me naïve.
I’d rather be naïve, heartfelt and hopeful than resigned to say
nothing for fear of misinterpretation and retribution.
The majority of humans on this planet are more consumed by the
pursuit of love, health, family, food and shelter than any kind of war.
War hurts. It hurts no matter which sides the bombs are falling on.
With all the global achievements in modern technology,
enhanced communication and information devices, cracking the
human genome, land rovers on Mars etc., do we really have to
resign ourselves to the devastating reality that conflict will be
resolved with bombs, murder and acts of barbarism?
We are such a remarkable species. Capable of creating beauty.
Capable of awe-inspiring advancements. We must be capable of
resolving conflicts without bloodshed.
I don’t know how to reconcile the peaceful rainbow of flags we see
each night at our concerts with the daily news of a dozen global
conflicts and their horrific consequences. I don’t know how to
process the feeling of guilt and complicity when I hear about the
deaths of a civilian family from a U.S. drone strike. But I know that
we can’t let the sadness turn into apathy. And I do know we are
better off when we reach out to each other.
“I hope someday you’ll join us,…”
Won’t you listen to what the man said.
— Eddie Vedder
“I swear to f---ing god, there are people out there who are looking for a reason to kill,” the famed American rocker said. “They’re looking for a reason to go across borders and take over land that doesn’t belong to them. They should get the f---out, and mind their own f---ing business.”
“We don’t want to give them our money. We don’t want to give them our taxes to drop bombs on children.”
Ed stops short of calling out Israel by name, but there is little doubt that Israel is the country he was referencing. Shortly thereafter, Ben Red, the Israeli disc jockey who helped to create the Bring Pearl Jam to Israel Campaign, spoke out against the rant and withdrew his invitation for Pearl Jam to come to Israel.
“Eddie Vedder, your true face is finally being revealed,” Red wrote. “You are invited not to come here. I personally do not want to see you, and I will erase the Facebook page calling on bringing [Pearl Jam] to Israel, but not before I expose who you really are.”
Is it possible to address this without wading too deep into politics? I think so. We are all huge Pearl Jam fans. With all due respect to Mr. Red, I don't think that he speaks for all Israelis? Can fans enjoy a Pearl Jam concert if they don't agree with Eddie Vedder? For decades now, Pearl Jam has been touring America, and they have yet to pull up on criticism of the U.S. government or Americans.
It hasn't always gone well ...
... but last I checked, Pearl Jam continues to sell our shows in the United States, and I've yet to be in a concert where someone didn't have a conservative opinion to scream at Ed when he spoke up politically.
So, those of you in Israel that were hoping for a Pearl Jam show, don't give up the dream b/c of a 30-second sound bite buried in a 3-hour show. A live Pearl Jam experience is worth some work.
This past Father's Day, Lance Mercer was diagnosed with stage 4 non-hodgkins follicular lymphoma after checking into the hospital for a swollen lymph node. His daughter Mackenzie has begun a Kickstarter-like campaign to raise money for his treatment.
If you enjoyed Lance's books Place/Date or 5 X 1, or you just think cancer sucks, take a moment to donate. The original goal has already been wiped out and the new goal is $100,000. They're already 2/3rds of the way there.
Good luck, Lance.
