Pearl Jam commemorate 20th anniversary of Roskilde Festival tragedy: ‘Our deepest condolences’
On Tuesday, Grammy-winning grunge band Pearl Jam commemorated the 20th anniversary of Roskilde Festival tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of nine men, aged 17-26, in 2000.
‘Nothing has been the same since,’ guitarist Stone Gossard wrote in a somber statement.
‘Our deepest condolences and apologies to the families who lost their boys that day. To the brothers and sisters, grandmas and grandpas and friends, all who lost their precious being.
‘Nothing has been the same since’: On Tuesday, Grammy-winning grunge band Pearl Jam commemorated the 20th anniversary of Roskilde Festival tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of nine men, aged 17-26, in 2000 (pictured in 2011)
Guitarist Stone Gossard wrote in a somber statement: ‘Our deepest condolences and apologies to the families who lost their boys that day’
‘Everyone failed to live up to what was needed in those hours before and in those days following the tragedy. The festival, the media, us included.’
The band was playing their 1993 hit Daughter when they were alerted to ask the crowd to step back so the nine victims and 28 others injured could be rescued from the Orange Stage mosh pit – according to Rolling Stone.
‘[We] never realized anything was going on at all until it was too late,’ Gossard wrote to their 16.8M social media followers.
‘We retreated and became angry after many reports implied PJ was responsible. Our words were nothing to help at that point. We hid and hoped that it wasn’t our fault. We have been trying our best to unhide ever since.
Gossard continued: ‘Everyone failed to live up to what was needed in those hours before and in those days following the tragedy. The festival, the media, us included’
‘Our worst nightmare’: The band was playing their 1993 hit Daughter when they were alerted to ask the crowd to step back so the nine victims and 28 others injured could be rescued from the Orange Stage mosh pit (pictured in 2017)
‘We’ve met some of the families over the years. With some, we have forged strong friendships – sharing and supporting each other. Some we do not know.’
No charges were filed against Danish fest organizers and the second worst concert-related tragedy (after The Who’s 1979 stampede) was ultimately ruled an accident – according to Billboard.
’20 years later our band has 11 more kids, all of them precious, and another 20 years between us,’ Stone continued.
‘Our understanding of gravity and the loss felt by the parents of those boys has grown exponentially magnified as we imagine our own children dying in circumstances like Roskilde 2000…
‘How fragile we are’: No charges were filed against Danish fest organizers and the second worst concert-related tragedy – after The Who’s 1979 stampede – was ultimately ruled an accident (memorial pictured in 2000)
‘Lost nine friends we’ll never know’: Pearl Jam wrote their 2003 track Love Boat Captain in honor of the victims and every year frontman Eddie Vedder changes the lyric to reflect the passage of time
‘It is unthinkable, yet there it is. Our worst nightmare. Every day our hearts continue to ache and our stomachs turn at the thoughts of those young men dying and of what might have been different, if only – but nothing changes.’
Pearl Jam wrote their 2003 track Love Boat Captain in honor of the victims and every year frontman Eddie Vedder changes the lyric to reflect the passage of time.
PJ remotely reunited on June 24 to perform their new song Dance of the Clairvoyants for the All In WA Benefit, which helped raise $48M for those impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The coronavirus pandemic also forced the band – which formed in Seattle 1990 – to postpone all 31 dates of their Gigaton World Tour until June 2021.
Charity: PJ remotely reunited on June 24 to perform their new song Dance of the Clairvoyants for the All In WA Benefit, which helped raise $48M for those impacted by the COVID-19 crisis