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Pearl Jam push back Gigaton tour over coronavirus concerns

“The levels of risk to our audience… is simply too high for our comfort level”

Image: Jim Bernett / Getty Images

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Pearl Jam have pushed back the first leg of their Gigaton Tour due to coronavirus concerns. It was set to kick off on 18 March in Toronto.

Frontman Eddie Vedder made the announcement “with deep frustration and regret” through the band’s social media channels. He stated that the North American leg of the Gigaton Tour has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.

“As residents of the city of Seattle, we’ve been hit hard and have witnessed firsthand how quickly these disastrous situations can escalate,” Vedder wrote. “It’s been brutal and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.”

“This scheduled first leg of our PJ/Gigaton tour will need to be postponed and shows rescheduled for a later date. We’ve worked hard with all our management and business associates to find other solutions or options but the levels of risk to our audience and their communities is simply too high for our comfort level,” he added.

Read the full post below.

Pearl Jam, however, did not touch on the status of the European trek of the Gigaton Tour. That leg currently scheduled to kick off in Frankfurt, Germany on 23 June.

The tour is in support of Pearl Jam’s 11th studio album, Gigaton, which is due out 27 March. The record, their first full-length since 2013’s Lightning Bolt, was previously previewed with the singles Dance of the Clairvoyants and Superblood Wolfmoon.

The band also did not speak about “The Gigaton Listening Experience”, a special theatrical preview of the upcoming album, set to screen in 200 cinemas worldwide on 25 March.

The Gigaton Tour is the latest event affected by the going-on coronavirus outbreak. Austin festival SXSW 2020 was recently cancelled after major brands and participants such as Netflix, Apple and Amazon pulled out. Coachella – and its sister festival Stagecoach – may soon follow, according to organisers. Knotfest Japan, a metal festival organised by Slipknot, has also been cancelled. Musikmesse 2020 will also be rescheduled.

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