Pearl Jam cancels Raleigh, NC show over HB2

Bentleyspop
Bentleyspop Craft Beer Brewery, Colorado Posts: 11,410
Pearl Jam Cancels 4/20 Raleigh, NC Concert in Opposition to HB2; Official Band Statement
April 18, 2016


PEARL JAM STATEMENT

It is with deep consideration and much regret that we must cancel the Raleigh show in North Carolina on April 20th.

This will be upsetting to those who have tickets and you can be assured that we are equally frustrated by the situation.

The HB2 law that was recently passed is a despicable piece of legislation that encourages discrimination against an entire group of American citizens. The practical implications are expansive and its negative impact upon basic human rights is profound. We want America to be a place where no one can be turned away from a business because of who they love or fired from their job for who they are.

It is for this reason that we must take a stand against prejudice, along with other artists and businesses, and join those in North Carolina who are working to oppose HB2 and repair what is currently unacceptable.

We have communicated with local groups and will be providing them with funds to help facilitate progress on this issue.

In the meantime we will be watching with hope and waiting in line for a time when we can return.

Perhaps even celebrate.

With immense gratitude for your understanding,

Pearl Jam
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Comments

  • Free
    Free Posts: 3,562
    Good for them.

    But they should have announced it days ago.
  • Pixeltender
    Pixeltender nyc Posts: 79
    /pours one out for those with raleigh tix :(
  • dignin
    dignin Posts: 9,478
    Proud PJ fan here.
  • muskydan
    muskydan Posts: 1,013
    Say it ain't so... I'd be fuming if I were traveling to this show. Maybe I am the only one who feels this way, but if you had tics to this show let's hear from you....your true feelings not some BS PC feelings..
  • Free
    Free Posts: 3,562
    Remember the real victims here. They are not the fans. That is the overwhelming message, it is not about us.
  • Gern Blansten
    Gern Blansten Mar-A-Lago Posts: 22,177
    Good for them....hard decision I'm sure
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  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,662
    Feeling very proud of Pearl Jam today. Thanks for doing the right thing, guys!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • tempo_n_groove
    tempo_n_groove Posts: 41,359
    I'd be pissed if I was going to that show but I know it's not about me and about something bigger.
  • sect404
    sect404 Posts: 4
    The only thing this does is screw over all of the fans! Where were you before this? Why didn't I hear you championing this 'horrible slight' against .3% of the population? Personally I don't want to allow the chance for some sex offender(the one who introduced this bill) to jerk off to my goddaughter in the bathroom. When you stand up championing a REAL cause like the Muslim extermination of Christians and Jews and their persecution of gays and women....then you get my kudos.
  • JimmyV
    JimmyV Boston's MetroWest Posts: 19,598
    I love them for taking a stand. I love them for taking this stand. But they could have taken the same stand a week ago. This should have been handled better.
    ___________________________________________

    "...I changed by not changing at all..."
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,662
    I think it's great when and individual or a small group like a band takes the initiative to take a stand on an issues because I almost almost guarantee that few if any of us here are ever going to have our voice heard more than a small bell tinging in the janitor's closet below the belfry of Winchester Cathedral at noon.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Shawshank
    Shawshank Posts: 1,018
    sect404 said:

    When you stand up championing a REAL cause like the Muslim extermination of Christians and Jews and their persecution of gays and women....then you get my kudos.

    That will NEVER EVER happen, no matter how bad it got.

  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,385
    JimmyV said:

    I love them for taking a stand. I love them for taking this stand. But they could have taken the same stand a week ago. This should have been handled better.

    They have had a full 3 weeks and then some since this passed and hit the news. But no, lets wait til 2 days prior. Dick move. At this point it seems bandwagonish to me.
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

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  • callen
    callen Posts: 6,388
    edited April 2016
    muskydan said:

    Say it ain't so... I'd be fuming if I were traveling to this show. Maybe I am the only one who feels this way, but if you had tics to this show let's hear from you....your true feelings not some BS PC feelings..

    So this is the band you like. This is the bands fan website to which you visit. PJ has been very clear about their positions on social matters. PJ fans mostly agree with their positions and like them for matching their views

    So hope to hear WMA soon. .

    Timing could of been better.
    Post edited by callen on
    10-18-2000 Houston, 04-06-2003 Houston, 6-25-2003 Toronto, 10-8-2004 Kissimmee, 9-4-2005 Calgary, 12-3-05 Sao Paulo, 7-2-2006 Denver, 7-22-06 Gorge, 7-23-2006 Gorge, 9-13-2006 Bern, 6-22-2008 DC, 6-24-2008 MSG, 6-25-2008 MSG
  • tglowacki
    tglowacki Posts: 1
    edited April 2016
    I respect your decision to take a stand, but I don't agree with your method. You are punishing thousands of your fans who are not responsible for the laws in place. I think you could have accomplished more by performing the concert and expressing your views there. The Raleigh show would have been my first Pearl Jam concert. Instead, I will probably not bother to purchase any future concert tickets. One final question: "How do I cancel my Ten Club membership?"
    Post edited by tglowacki on
  • callen
    callen Posts: 6,388
    sect404 said:

    The only thing this does is screw over all of the fans! Where were you before this? Why didn't I hear you championing this 'horrible slight' against .3% of the population? Personally I don't want to allow the chance for some sex offender(the one who introduced this bill) to jerk off to my goddaughter in the bathroom. When you stand up championing a REAL cause like the Muslim extermination of Christians and Jews and their persecution of gays and women....then you get my kudos.


    How many Muslims, Christians and Jews each have been killed in last 10 years?

    Glad this pisses you off due to positions rather than timing. Hope thAt one of your favorite bands makes you think about your positions.

    And to the 3%. Shit rationalization. I hereby add myself to the 3%.
    10-18-2000 Houston, 04-06-2003 Houston, 6-25-2003 Toronto, 10-8-2004 Kissimmee, 9-4-2005 Calgary, 12-3-05 Sao Paulo, 7-2-2006 Denver, 7-22-06 Gorge, 7-23-2006 Gorge, 9-13-2006 Bern, 6-22-2008 DC, 6-24-2008 MSG, 6-25-2008 MSG
  • dignin
    dignin Posts: 9,478
    Hey look at the bight-side members, the more people that don't renew their memberships over this...the better our seats get for next tour! The glass is half full!
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,662
    I agree that the timing could have been better and no doubt some fans have been inconvenienced but really, we are such a spoiled nation. Get used to inconvenience. This is nothing. If we don't make strong progress on social and political issues these little inconveniences will mean squat. Ask yourself: would I rather lose a few days work and the cost of a plane ticket or have my rights revoked? Would I rather miss a band play or dodge bullets in a civil war? Same thing with environmental issues only worse. Get used to inconvenience. Stop being spoiled. Maybe even create some inconveniences for yourself to get the word out on an issue.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • sect404 said:

    The only thing this does is screw over all of the fans! Where were you before this? Why didn't I hear you championing this 'horrible slight' against .3% of the population? Personally I don't want to allow the chance for some sex offender(the one who introduced this bill) to jerk off to my goddaughter in the bathroom. When you stand up championing a REAL cause like the Muslim extermination of Christians and Jews and their persecution of gays and women....then you get my kudos.

    It's kinda funny that the people most opposed to the law are STRAIGHT guys who admit that they're sexual predators who'd molest kids if they were allowed to go into a women's bathroom.

    I mean really... that's what the real fear is.

    It's certainly not a trans person taking a piss.
  • For the record, there are already laws against abusing kids, laws against shooting video of people in public washrooms, being a sexual predator and... well, pretty much everything else.

    This law was just meant to tell the trans community "we can't stop you from getting married, but we CAN make your life miserable."