Eddie Vedder booted a fan out of a Pearl Jam concert in Zurich after they started a fight with another attendee.
Videos by American Songwriter
The grunge icons were playing the Hallenstadion venue in the Swiss city as part of their ongoing European tour. As reported by Rock Feed, Vedder noticed a fight break out in the crowd during their performance of “Animal.” The frontman then stopped the show in its tracks to address the fan who threw the first punch.
“Turn the lights on, please,” he said. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey – I saw the whole thing, I know, it was annoying you. You were bummed out ’cause he was filming the whole time. Has it been the whole show or just now? Just now when I came over? Was it the whole time? Yeah, you’re filming everyone.”
He continued, “The thing is, I know it upset you, but you can’t fuckin’ hit him in the back of head either, even though you’re a woman. I appreciate the fact that you can be strong. Quit hitting him — you’re out of here. Violence is not allowed.”
After the fan was visibly upset to be ejected from the show, Vedder went on to say, “I’m sorry ma’am, there’s no violence allowed. You could’ve waved to me, I was lookin’ right at you. Sorry about that, it’s just not cool, we’re not hittin’ people here. Sorry.”
Watch a fan-shot video of the situation below.
Pearl Jam’s European tour has seen a handful of COVID-related setbacks. Earlier this month, the group played a headlining set at London’s Hyde Park, with a surprise appearance from Johnny Mar. The show was originally scheduled for 2021 alongside Duran Duran, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Back in May, Pearl Jam was forced to cancel the remainder of their U.S. tour after bassist Jeff Ament tested positive for COVID-19. Drummer Matt Cameron was diagnosed with the virus the week before, causing the band to enlist stand-in drummers.
The European trek will continue until the end of this month before the band heads back to North America in September.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/FilmMagic)
