Eddie Vedder Says Pearl Jam Had ‘Near-Death’ Health Scare

Eddie Vedder says Pearl Jam had a “near-death experience” that forced them to cancel shows in London and Berlin last week. In a fan-captured video during the group’s show in Barcelona over the weekend, Vedder opened up about a “frightening” illness that hit the group.

“Can I just say that last week almost felt like a near-death experience,” Vedder said onstage. “It was very uncomfortable, and it got frightening.”

“It felt like chest bronchitis. It was something,” he added. “It felt like maybe you couldn’t breathe, and maybe you wouldn’t make it through the night, and maybe you’d have to go to the hospital.”

Vedder seemed to get emotional as fans started to clap for him. Although Vedder didn’t say which members of the group were affected, he said it impacted a “few of us.”

“You just realize how precious this life is,” Vedder reflected. “How lucky we are to have been living on a planet where we can go around and play to incredible people like the people in this room here tonight.”

“It was a poignant experience. I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon,” he added. “And we won’t be forgetting tonight anytime soon.”

When Pearl Jam canceled shows on July 2 and 3, the band put out a statement saying that members of the band had yet to make a “full recovery,” and they felt forced to cancel the show. A rep for the band did not have additional comment.

The group is expected to come stateside in August to continue touring their recent album, Dark Matter. “Dark Matter is jam-packed with fist-pumping rockers, stunning songwriting, and melodies tailor-made to be shouted with the windows down,” read a Rolling Stone review of the record.

From Rolling Stone US.