Pearl Jam has canceled a second concert on their European tour due because of damage to singer Eddie Vedder’s vocal cords from wildfires that have been plaguing France.
The group canceled Wednesday’s show in Vienna and has announced that Friday’s concert in Prague is off as well.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the band announced that “due to the extreme circumstances at the last outdoor site outside of Paris (heat, dust, and smoke from the fires) our singer Ed Vedder’s throat was left damaged. He has seen doctors and had treatment but as of yet, his vocal cords have not recovered. … As a band, we are deeply sorry and have tried to find options to still play. And Ed wants to play. There’s just no throat available at this time… So very, very deeply sorry.”
They followed with another post Thursday: “The effects on his throat from the last outdoor show are still just too brutal. We again send our sincere apologies to all of those who have worked intensely to put on the show. Even bigger apologies to those that were expecting to attend… You can be guaranteed we are doing everything we can to help fix the situation.”
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The tour is scheduled to wrap with two concerts in Amsterdam on Sunday and Monday (July 24 and 25). The group begins a three-week North American tour in Quebec on Sept. 1.
Much of the European continent has been ravaged by heat waves, drought and wildfires since late spring, one that has driven temperatures into triple digits everywhere from England to Spain. According to the New York Times, heat waves are increasing in frequency and intensity at a faster rate than virtually anywhere else on the planet, including the western U.S.
