Ten years ago we had a day not unlike today. Pearl Jam was touring Europe. Playing a massive outdoor show. Today in Berlin, on June 30, 2000 at a big festival in Denmark called Roskilde.
There are a lot of things that Eddie Vedder may have imagined the band he’s in could have in common with his favorite, The Who. But I am 100% sure that a major concert tragedy was never one of them, not in his worst nightmares. And yet, a decade ago exactly on this day, Pearl Jam played at the Roskilde festival and the unimaginable happened. Nine fans were killed in the crush of the general admission crowd. So hard to believe that it’s been ten years, but those kids who perished were never forgotten by fellow fans, and certainly never forgotten by the band.
“I think we are all waiting for someone to wake us and say it was just a horrible nightmare,” the band said in a statement right after the tragedy. “We have not yet been told what actually occurred, but it seemed to be random and sickeningly quick… it doesn’t make sense…. When you agree to play at a festival of this size and reputation it is impossible to imagine such a heart-wrenching scenario. Our lives will never be the same, but we know that is nothing compared to the grief of the families and friends of those involved.”
“All of us spent two days in the hotel in Denmark crying and trying to understand what was going on.” – Stone Gossard, August 2001, Spin Magazine
“A friend of an Australian guy named Anthony Hurley asked if I would write something for the funeral. That was just hands-down the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do—not really knowing what was appropriate, not knowing how the family or friends felt; maybe I’m the last person they’d like to hear from. But it meant a lot to them, and it really helped me. I think it also helped the rest of the guys. Hurley had three younger siblings, and they said he really cared about our band, and that’s why he was in the front. And that he was actually doing something he loved during his last minutes.” – Eddie Vedder, August 2001, Spin Magazine
“Lost nine friends we’ll never know two years ago today / And if our lives became too long, would it add to our regret?” – “Love Boat Captain,” 2002.
Looking back now, I am struck by how much more strength and courage it took for the band to continue on than I even thought at the time. The horror of it could have made them never pick up an instrument or go near a microphone ever again.
“I think the thought [of PJ breaking up after Roskilde] crossed all of our minds, but it wouldn’t have been a good way to end it all,” Mike McCready told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer two months after the event.
So what of that last day of June a decade ago? For me, just like today, I was home in New York recently back from Europe myself. My phone started ringing that evening, friends wondering if I was ok or I knew this person or that person was safe. Almost immediately, it hit the news. It had been raining, slippery and dark. The band was seven songs into its set. Everything stopped during “Daughter.” Soon there were articles and posts everywhere. An ill-advised video on the BBC’s website that I would be much happier to have never set eyes on. And on and on.
“Some of us thought maybe we should cancel the [North American] tour. I felt if we cancel, what are we running from? It made us deal with it every day on some level, and that was the most positive thing we could do. The shows were all reserved-seating, which made it a lot easier. At first, it was hard to look at the crowd. A couple of kids I saw at Roskilde, they’re burned in my memory forever. Sometimes, when you’re looking at a crowd, you can’t help but see those faces.” – Jeff Ament, August 2001, Spin Magazine
But not only did they manage to march onward into a massive U.S. tour just a month later — though the pain was more than evident in some of Ed’s more obvious lyric changes and between song comments, and “Alive” disappeared from the setlist for a long time — they remained intact, productive, and vital all these years. For that I will always be thankful.
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Nice article. I just remember the still shot of Ed with his head in his hands. I was lucky enought to see Arc on the following tour.
I must say, as a lifelong fan of this band (fanclub since 94) I couldnt be more proud of the way they handled this horrible tragedy as well as the way they conduct themselves. Thanks to PJ for making us so proud to be fans.
Nice tribute, Jessica.
I went to the first show in the US after this @ Virginia Beach and will never forget the mood. They started out very tentative but as the show progressed you could feel them slowly loosening up and feeling more comfortable. Then they did the “It’s OK” tag and it was strangely like they were asking us and we were telling them that it was in fact ok to go on. One of my most memorable shows.
Nice job with this article. You have me curious about the BBC video now, though.
wow. just … wow. i’ve had “riot act” on my mind for several days now, and then the significance of LBC and arc hit me. i hadn’t realized it’s been 10 years since this happened. and yet now, “it’s ok.” it really is ok. the band has gotten through this. we fans have gotten through this. it’s helped shape who we as people are today – the band and the fans. but we can’t forget about the nine friends we’ll never know.
great article. helps capsulize what i’ve been thinking about for the last week.
Was at the Va. Beach show after this happened and it was so somber. And when they came back here in 08, Ed said he’d written Love Boat Captain in a hotel room nearby. The mood was very somber but eventually loosened up a bit. Never seen images from that day but more than admire the grace with which the band handled this; made me love them more.
What I remember about June 30th, 2000 was hearing it on the news and thinking, “OMG! Of all the bands for this to happen to!” (and I wasn’t really into Pearl Jam the way I am now)…I thought of Ed and how horrific this must have been for him, and the rest of the band. Nobody goes to a concert expecting to die…I know I watched the news reports on TV, but for the life of me I cannot recall the images and those that were there and witnessed it first had, how hideously traumatic to have such things burned into your memory.
However, the grace with which the band conducted themselves in the following days was remarkable, considering how unable to function they must have been. The way they honoured those lost was with dignity and repect and obviously it continues to this day.
It is a testament to their strength of character that they overcame this, and that they are not afraid to show that it still hurts.
I saw them play at the Leeds festival in the UK in 2006 which I’ve been told was the first festival they’d played since Roskilde. Eddie’s concern for the crowd was palpable, I then saw them play at another festival last month in London and although the concern was still there they seemed more comfortable.
Of course it goes without saying…. Two of the best gigs of my life.
Hey,
nice and true article about a horrible tragedy. I’m from Germany and was 15 as it happened. I head from it years later, because at this time i didn’t know pearl jam at all. Some years later, pearl jam is my favourite band and i saw this picture, showing eddie hiding his face in his palms. I’m happy they didn’t quit.
Such things happen again and again at european festivals. This year at Rock Im Park at Nuremburg, Germany a man got his head crushed at the appearance by Rage Against The Machine. Friends of mine saw him, laying head down in a puddle, bleeding out of his head. I hope sometime more money is spend in security and safety and the numbers of maximum auditors is diminished.
Greetings,
Pat