Pearl Jam Cancels 4/20 Raleigh, NC Concert in Opposition to HB2; Official Band Statement

tylermoore

I understand their decision, really do. However the timing.. Pretty bogus. They could've done it right, couple weeks ago on the same day Bruce did. That's what I honestly expected.
Two days before. Cmon guys.

Ledbetterman10

Isn't there a bit of a possibility that stuff like this might backfire and lead to even more discrimination towards transgender people? There's no doubt that the NC legislature is discriminating against them. But cancellations in protest (not just by Pearl Jam...but everyone who is or who plans to do this) might lead people to take out their frustration on transgender people. And I'm not saying they'll take it out on them with any malice. But transgender people are already a very small minority and the people who might have considered standing beside them in protest might develop a "fuck it" attitude towards them. As if they're not worth the trouble or something. I know that sounds mean-spirited. But let's face reality; there is definitely a Bruce Springsteen or Pearl Jam fan somewhere thinking "Oh because YOU have to use a certain bathroom, MY good time is ruined?!?!"

I dunno. Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder with megaphones leading protesters onto the steps of the state capital would probably have greater effect than cancelling.

given2fly23

DR295987 said:

clearly the band doesn't value it's fans....

Clearly the band values all humans and human rights.

Mike D88

fall by the wayside said:

Proud to be a fan of this band today. Ashamed to be a part of this fan base. I get it. I would be upset too. We all look so forward to these shows. But the selfishness and childishness is ridiculous. The band is not punishing you. You are collateral damage. It sucks. It's just that the band thinks the civil rights of others are more important than your concert. End story. It's also unfortunate to see tough life lessons being learned about purchasing non-refundable rooms and flights to an event that can very much be cancelled. Hopefully this law gets fixed and someday they come back and make everyone happy.

This!
As a band, PJ has always tried to take its fans to cool places they themselves would want to go. At the moment, NC is not on that list of places.

october22

Yet they play DC and bands like Rage play Cuba. Did Pearl Jam lose their shit when Obama watched a baseball game with a mass murderer recently in Cuba? I don't recall them protesting that.

This is complete bullshit. Play the show for your fans and say a few words if you want to bring attention to something. Otherwise, you're hypocritical for playing shows in any state or country where every law isn't exactly as you'd like it to be. But I guess they just couldn't resist the trendy freak-out over anything concerning LGBT at the moment.

JP Losman

PJlive said:

JP Losman said:

hsohi said:

JP Losman said:

I think they are clueless and this is grandstanding by the band...you just played Florida with the crazy stand your ground laws...you are playing states with horrible voter ID laws that are racist and a civil rights problem. and you aren't listening to the people that are actually being discriminated or the people actually trying to repeal the law.

http://perezhilton.com/2016-04-12-north-carolina-needs-you-gay-friendly-organizations-asking-artists-not-cancel-shows

Stand your ground laws allow people to defend themselves...pal

Yea tell that to Trayvon Martin's family

I will and would. He wasn't so innocent was he... Get your head out of your ass.

Ok...we have found ourselves the one pearl jam in favor of HB2 so this guy has been impacted positively by PJ taking a stance. Standing ovation for him people.

ben30338

Reminds me of another worthless gesture with significant collateral damage, carter's boycott of the Moscow olympics - will be just as ineffective. While I'm at it, I'll be happy to place a wager with eddy that Florida is still above sea level in 10 years.

DragonsAfter3or4

What a punk ass move by the band 48 hours to show. Sure take a stand, but doing so like this so close to show date screws a ton of fans. Good, you're going to give ticket refunds, but now they're stuck with airfare and hotels.
So the only stand you could take is to screw your fans? Complete dick move by the band.

Spiritual_Chaos

given2fly23 said:

DR295987 said:

clearly the band doesn't value it's fans....

Clearly the band values all humans and human rights.

They can value all humans and humans rights without shitting on the fans.

RunIntoTheRain

fall by the wayside said:

Proud to be a fan of this band today. Ashamed to be a part of this fan base. I get it. I would be upset too. We all look so forward to these shows. But the selfishness and childishness is ridiculous. The band is not punishing you. You are collateral damage. It sucks. It's just that the band thinks the civil rights of others are more important than your concert. End story. It's also unfortunate to see tough life lessons being learned about purchasing non-refundable rooms and flights to an event that can very much be cancelled. Hopefully this law gets fixed and someday they come back and make everyone happy.

Agree

PJ212

Shoulda played Atlanta. Georgia Governor Deal vetoed that shit.

DischordVision

WHAT REBELS!
Puscifer Maynard's side project from Tool MADE A BETTER POINT BY PISSING OFF LAWMAKERS AND NOT CANCELLING!!

quarterto10

So incredibly sorry for the people who had planned on attending this show. I truly believe though that in this instance Pearl Jam's actions are supportive of the ideal of eliminating injustice in the world. It must have been an extremely difficult decision for them, and I respect them tremendously for still making it despite the difficulty, and trying, in my opinion, to make the world a better place for everyone.

Weston1283

Spiritual_Chaos said:

given2fly23 said:

DR295987 said:

clearly the band doesn't value it's fans....

Clearly the band values all humans and human rights.

They can value all humans and humans rights without shitting on the fans.

This

ehbacon

hate this, should've just been a politically charged show

ItIsAllAboutPJ

rchallen said:

So I'm still proud to be a longtime resident of Charlotte, NC... Ironically a very progressive city, as apparently our decision to provide protection for the TG community provided the impetus for Gov. Patsy McCrory and his POS cronies to pass the horrible, awful HB2 law. Which specifically states that local governments and cities can NOT pass protections of their own.

But I'm deeply ashamed and embarrassed that the Republican legislature--which only came to power thanks to gerrymandering and the rural districts--has decided to launch their hateful campaign against ALL minorities. Not just the LBGT community, but also women, minorities, and even religion... There are NO protected classes under HB2 anymore. (McCrory has since "amended" the law to allow for some protected groups, which is a bit like Dick Cheney shooting you in the face and then offering you a Band-Aid two weeks later.)

On a social and moral level, I completely support Pearl Jam... and Springsteen as well. (Another show I planned to attend that got cancelled two days beforehand.) I agree that the timing could've been better, but I also suspect the time frame was chosen, as with Springsteen's decision, for maximum political impact. It's not just taking dollars out of the state... It's also drawing media attention to the POS idiots controlling our State house and adding political pressure in the hopes that they (eventually) do the right thing.

But here's my frustration in the interim: HB2 does NOT reflect the mindset of the state as a whole. It was a sneaky piece of legislation, rammed through in less than a day with no debate whatsoever, solely to punish the "progressive" cities (Charlotte, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Asheville, and others) and mobilize the far right wing to come to the polls in November. (Because nothing gets bigoted right-wingers more excited than denying basic rights to gays.) If the state wasn't gerrymandered to the point of insanity, these assholes wouldn't even BE in office... Much less passing divisive legislation with the confidence of men who know that their districts are SO red, their re-elections are all but assured. Meanwhile, anyone in the state who is liberal, progressive, or even moderate (which covers about 95% of most NC PJ fans) is punished by the actions of the bigots we did NOT vote for and do NOT support.

I hope the band gets a chance to read this post, as it comes from someone who's fought against (and voted against) these assholes for years and years. I deeply respect the hard decision they made, while also feeling the monumental (selfish) loss that comes from knowing that some of my favorite artists, and bands, will no longer visit my state while these idiots remain in power.

I love Charlotte, and I love North Carolina, and I hate the fact that a tiny hate-filled group has co-opted our government and currently holds the state hostage. They don't speak for us, and we will do everything in our power to vote them out come November. But if we don't... I might be asking for suggestions on where to move.

God bless Pearl Jam, and I hope you guys throw every ounce of your anger and energy into the Columbia show the following night. Because I will be there with all MY anger at the f**kers who keep trying to take my state away from me... and I could probably use some Release.

Well said....keep up the good fight!
I feel so badly for all those who were going to this show and lost $.
I would be beside myself too.

BS44325

If I was at Hampton tonight I don't believe I would be showing the band too much love.

CM189191

They should have played the show, but not let anyone use any of the bathrooms in protest.

/amidoingitright

rchallen

BS44325 said:

I guess for the next lottery I better be familar with every stupid piece of local legislation in the works just in case PJ decides to throw a boycott out there a day or two before the show.

The stupid local legislation didn't even exist until a day before it became law. (And a couple months AFTER the ticket lottery.)

AlaG

While I feel bummed for all the peeps with non-refundable plane tickets and hotel bookings, you also need to recognize that you're in a very small percentage of the band's fanbase. I doubt when making these decisions, their first thought is - "but man, we'd really be screwing that .5% of our fanbase that travels nationwide to see us".