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

PJForceofNature · April 2016

eeriepadave said:
sucks for people that bought tix and made plans like hotels and whatnot. should have made the announcement about a weeks ago, not a few days before the show, IMO

I agree. I do respect their decision to cancel the show, but why do it at the last minute and hurt the fans who already bought their plane tickets and reserved hotel rooms? I really do feel very sorry for the fans in this position.

brianlux · April 2016

Social awareness is an integral part of what has long been a part of what makes PJ a great band. Thanks for doing the right thing guys. Proud of you!

Noload · April 2016

What do you do if the US government makes laws you disagree with? Skip the US? Glad this isn't one I had on my list. Sorry for those many of you probably already on the way to this show. This sucks for the fans completely and will change nothing but it will look pretty good for them next fall walking around a Hillary fundraiser cocktail party in the Hollywood hills.

JP Losman · April 2016

the people who say NC did this to themselves are clueless. Charlotte was pro active and progressive by making a law for their city that was super pro LGBT rights. Houston and other cities have voted down those laws. Then the state (which is red because of gerrymandering) and has lots of rural strong red areas that are not impacted by these protests passed this bill making what Charlotte did illegal.

So NC did not do this to themselves.

JP Losman · April 2016

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

mcgruff10 · April 2016

Hopefully the people that already lined up for ga know about this.

choop · April 2016

If you get angry you can't go see a band for the 10th, 30th, whatever time, just imagine how angry people must get when they can be denied rights because of their sexual orientation.

JC29856 · April 2016

Ooowch...glad I waited until today to book flight!

Dercheef · April 2016

When Bruce cancelled I thought "nah PJ wouldn't do it because they know that a ton of people are travelling to those shows from all over the world." I guess I was wrong...
What a dick move to do it 2 days prior. Friends of mine flew in from germany for some shows, including this. I agree about the law, it's disgusting and I think the vast majority of your fans thinks the same way about it. But to cancel this show two days prior is just sticking the finger to thousands of your fans who travel from all over the place to your shows. Weak move PJ, weak move.

shecky · April 2016

"Ouch. Sorry to the fans who had tix. I know I'd be very sad, furious, or both."
+1

athenssmile · April 2016

2-feign-reluctance said:
P
athenssmile said:
That is great that Pearl Jam will refund my tickets, but I have lost $125 for my hotel room that I can't get refunded because I went through priceline.

Perhaps your hotel can offer you a redeemable credit for the future. Surely if you contact them, they will know about this news and perhaps consider something?

Thanks for the idea of credit for the future, but I'm never in Raleigh. Pearl Jam was my only reason for going. I guess on the bright side, I am not a fan who also has unrefundable airline ticket.

shawndyer · April 2016

Cmon? 2 days before? I have 2 non refundable airline tickets?

kkline1183 · April 2016

I have no problem with them deciding not to play in NC but to cancel this late is an outrage. Furthermore, them not playing does absolutely nothing to help lgbt issues. Zero zip nothing. They should reimburse each fan for his/her lost travel/hotel costs for canceling so close to the show for this reason. They really just bent their best fans over. Ridiculous.

Pearl34Jam · April 2016

DPrival78 said:
louis ck recently played two surprise shows in NC, and donated the proceeds to equality groups. THAT is doing something positive for the situation.. this is just silly and pretty pointless.

100%

I'm all for standing up for what you believe in, but this is not the way to do it. They could have played the show and preached their message to the thousands in attendance.

But they figure slapping the fans in the face, many traveling from afar, will get the job done.

DPrival78 · April 2016

choop said:
If you get angry you can't go see a band for the 10th, 30th, whatever time, just imagine how angry people must get when they can be denied rights because of their sexual orientation.

and pj cancelling this show is going to change that?

MT236122 · April 2016

I respect the cause, but this easily could have been announced after Bruce. Really feel for the travelers

SVRDhand13 · April 2016

2 things that came to mind that mean very little but are interesting... PJ25 is no longer 25 shows and all the printed shirts with dates on them are wrong.

farfromglorified · April 2016

Ugh. I was really looking forward to this show -- the first time seeing Pearl Jam in my home town since Chicago 11+ years ago. Cancelling a show two days beforehand as a "protest" is being just as arbitrary and capricious as the moronic politicians who passed this idiotic law to begin with. I've traveled thousands of miles on countless occasions to see this band, but the cancellation of this hometown show means I'll likely never do it again. I couldn't feel worse for the fans who booked nonrefundable travel for this show and I hope the band puts its money where their mouth is to help out-of-state fans who get stuck with the bill.

Pearl Jam -- you have every right to your opinions and you have every right to cancel this show as a protest. It's your life and your gig. I respect those things. But I hope you know that the majority of the people affected by this decision are people that had nothing to do with this law or its passage and punishing them reminds me a lot of HB2 as opposed to the protest of it.

LotteryWinner · April 2016

Just called and got full refund on hotel, if I wasn't going to the Columbia show I would be livid. I get it, just the timing is so bad.

LukinFan · April 2016

I feel bad for the fans who were supposed to attend, but after reading more about this I can understand why they had to cancel.

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

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