Pearl Jam cancels a concert at the O2 Arena after Eddie Vedder "loses his voice"
American rock band Pearl Jam was forced to cancel their show which was to be held on Tuesday night, after singer Eddie Vedder "lost his voice, completely." The band was due to play for the second time at the O2 Arena after performing a set of 27 songs on Monday.
In a post on Twitter, the band stated that they are hoping to reschedule the concert for another date in July, before returning to the US to continue their tour.
In a statement, the band announced: "Pearl Jam are very sorry to announce that they will be unable to perform tonight's show at the O2 Arena in London. The band is working on rescheduling the concert date for mid-July...Singer Eddie Vedder has completely lost his voice. He is on vocal rest for the next few days in an effort to heal and perform the remainder of the tour dates...It's the first time ever having to postpone a show for this reason. Ed and the band are gutted thinking of all the folks who have traveled and made plans. Sending their biggest apologies out to everyone. And huge gratitude for all the continued support."
The Daily Mail reported that the post sparked reactions from fans, some of whom have admitted seeing Eddie Vedder struggle during one of the late-night performances on Monday. "I had tickets to both nights-last night's gig was absolutely brilliant but Eddie's voice was clearly struggling and he seemed in pain...so I was sort of expecting this. You gotta look after that one-in-a-billion voice, Eddie! Take care and thank you."
Another fan posted claiming that Vedder appeared quite sick as he curled up behind the stage during in between performances, while someone handed him over some tablets. "During black, he went around the back of the stand and was on all fours looking like he was trying to be sick before curling up into a ball and laying there, somebody went and got him some tablets after that."
The Independent informed that the band is expected to resume their tour in Milan on Friday. Pearl Jam's debut album 'Ten' produced singles such as 'Alive', which charted in the UK top 40. Their album has achieved triple platinum status in Britain and is a diamond record in the US after achieving platinum sales 13 times. In April 2017 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
It isn't for the first time that a singer suffered a vocal injury hampering their tour; sometime ago, SZA claimed to have "permanently injured" her voice due to swollen vocal cords. She eventually had to drop-out from the TDE’s Championship Tour.
She's on her way to recovery and happily announced an update on her health on Twitter, "Thank you to the incredible team of doctors and vocal technicians that have taken time to see me over the last few weeks in every city. I’m blessed to say my voice is not permanently damaged and I’ve been working daily to get back."
