My Pearl Jam buddy, my son, passed away
You never know what morning you may wake up and your entire life will change in an instant. That’s what happened to us on the morning of April 27, 2007. That’s right; it’s taken me eleven years to be able to put this down on paper.
I was walking into work, that morning when I got a call from my wife. She couldn’t wake up our eighteen year old son Matthew. He was in a coma; the paramedics were on their way. He was being rushed to Boston Children’s hospital. Driving there, my stomach was in such a knot, that I couldn’t sit back in my chair for the entire trip. Upon arriving at BC hospital, we were informed that Matt had contracted a rare virus called ADEM (Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis) and Matt had the worst case they’d ever seen. It’s a virus that destroys the protective membrane around the brain causing it to swell. They would try to counter it with high doses of Steroids, but were really already too late. Three days later, we were informed that there was no longer any hope and we removed him from life support.
Here was our son that played hockey and skied black diamond runs with me, couldn’t even have screamed for help that night. Every time I hear the line from Floyd’s song “Brain Damage“ (“You shout and no one seems to hear”) it gives me chills.
He was supposed to be attending his high school senior prom that day.
We were crushed, but didn’t want his life to go in vain. We started a fund at Boston Children’s Hospital “The Matthew Ian Wayne Neurological Research Endowment Fund” which has risen over $74,000. This money helped Boston Children’s Hospital in building an entire wing dedicated to Neurological research and I’m sure Matt would be proud to be part of that.
Matt was my Pearl Jam buddy, who attended all the Boston shows with me. His last show was at the BankNorth Garden on May 24, 2006. That night you performed Bob Dylan’s classic “Forever Young”. It seems surreal that this was the first and only night you’ve ever performed it. Eleven months from that show Matt passed but he will always be our eighteen year old son. He’ll always be “Forever Young” in our hearts. I have it tattooed on my arm above his angel.
My wife and I will be at the Boston, Fenway shows this September. If you would please pull this Dylan classic out for one more time, and dedicate “Forever Young” to Matt, I’d be forever in your debt.
Matt became our Roskilde Festival and it makes you truly think just how fragile life is. I know exactly what Eddie is talking about when he says he can “feel” his Dad sometimes. I can certainly feel my son with me and know he’ll be at the Fenway shows with us.
8/29/00 - Tweeter Center............5/24/06 - Banknorth Garden............5/17/10 - Banknorth Garden.............08/05/16 - Fenway Park
7/11/03 - Tweeter Center............5/25/06 - Banknorth Garden............6/16/11 - Wang Theatre (EV)............08/07/16 - Fenway Park
9/28/04 - Fleet Center................6/30/08 - Tweeter Center
Comments
Thank you for opening up.. I know that's not easy!
Hamburg 2000, Berlin 2006, Copenhagen 2007, Berlin 2009, Berlin 2010, Berlin 1+2 2012, Copenhagen 2012, Amsterdam 1+2 2014, Vienna 2014, Berlin 2014, Prague 2018, Krakow 2018
2005.....Hamilton
2011.....Toronto N1, Toronto N2, Hamilton
2013.....London, Buffalo
2014.....Detroit
2016.....Toronto N1 Toronto N2, Boston N1, Boston N2, Chicago N1
2018.....Seattle N1, Seattle N2
2022.....San Diego, Los Angeles N1, Los Angeles N2, Phoenix, Oakland N1, Oakland N2, Quebec City, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto
2023.....Fort Worth N1, Fort Worth N2, Austin N1, Austin N2
2024.....Las Vegas N1, Las Vegas N2, Los Angeles N1, Los Angeles N2, Boston N1, Boston N2
2025.....????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Hoping this gets the attention of the right people and you get it to hear it.
2003 - Champaign, IL
2006 - Chicago, IL 1 & 2
2007 - Chicago, IL Lollapalooza
2009 - Chicago, IL 1 & 2
2010 - St. Louis, MO
2011 - East Troy, WI 1 & 2 (PJ20 Destination Weekend)
2012 - Atlanta, GA, Missoula, MT
2013 - Chicago, IL (Wrigley Field), Dallas, TX, Oklahoma City, OK
2014 - St. Louis, MO, Tulsa, OK, Moline, IL (No Code, IL), Saint Paul, MN, Milwaukee, WI (Yield, WI)
2016 - Greenville, SC (Vs, SC), Raleigh, NC, Columbia, SC, Boston, MA (Fenway Park 1), Chicago, IL (Wrigley Field 1 & 2)
2022 - Nashville, TN, St. Louis, MO, Oklahoma City, OK, Phoenix, AZ, Las Vegas, NV
2023 - St. Paul, MN 2, Fort Worth, TX 2, Austin, TX 1, and Austin, TX 2
2014 - Soundgarden Tinley Park, IL (with Nine Inch Nails)
2017 - Soundgarden Dallas (cancelled) RIP Chris Cornell
2023 - Jerry Cantrell Milwaukee, WI
2006: Vienna 2009: Berlin 2010: London ~ Berlin 2012: Amsterdam 1+2 ~ Werchter ~ Arras ~ Berlin 1+2
2014: Milano ~ Trieste ~ Vienna ~ Berlin 2018: Padova ~ Rome 2022: Budapest ~ Vienna
EV London/Hammersmith 2012
EV Berlin/Zitadelle 2017