Pearl Jam has become the first major music act to postpone a U.S. tour because of concerns about the coronavirus, which has hit particularly hard in the veteran band’s home state of Washington.

The postponed dates includes the Seattle-based group’s sold-out April 13 Gigaton concert at San Diego State University’s Viejas Arena. The tour was set to open March 18 in Toronto and conclude April 18 and 19 in Oakland. The band’s 2020 European tour, which is set to open June 23 in Frankfurt, Germany, appears to still be on track, at least for now.

The Monday announcement of the U.S. spring tour’s postponement comes the same day that Pearl Jam and its leader, former San Diegan Eddie Vedder, were announced as two of the three headliners at September’s fifth annual Ohana Festival in Dana Point. So far as can be determined, the festival will go ahead as planned.

“We are so sorry… And deeply upset...,” Pearl Jam’s members said in a statement on Pearl Jam’s website.


The group’s full statement appears below.

Their statement does not indicate when the postponed dates will be rescheduled, if tickets for the postponed concerts will be valid for the as-yet-undetermined new dates or whether they should be refunded at point of purchase. Look for updates as they become available.

Pearl Jam ‘Letter from the Band’

As residents of the city of Seattle, we’ve been hit hard and have witnessed firsthand how quickly these disastrous situations can escalate. Our kids’ schools have closed along with universities and businesses. It’s been brutal and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.

So we are being told that being part of large gatherings is high on the list of things to avoid as this global health crisis is now beginning to affect all of our lives.


Unfortunately, communing in large groups is a huge part of what we do as a band and the tour we’ve been busy planning for months is now in jeopardy...

We have and will always keep the safety and well-being of our supporters as top priority.

So it is with deep frustration and regret that we are forced to make this most unfortunate of announcements...

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. Add to that we also have a unique group of passionate fans who travel far and wide. We’ve always been humbled by this and respect their energies and devotion. However in this case, travel is something to avoid.

It certainly hasn’t helped that there’s been no clear messages from our government regarding people’s safety and our ability to go to work. Having no examples of our national health department’s ability to get ahead of this, we have no reason to believe that it will be under control in the coming weeks ahead.

Again, here in Seattle what we are witnessing we would not wish for anyone. What we do wish for the rest of the country is that they can avoid the harsh negative effects of this and retain their sense of community and take care of one another. Just as we look forward to our next concerts and the ability to gather together and play loud songs as energized as ever.

We are so sorry…


And deeply upset...

If anyone out there feels the same based on this news, we share that emotion with you.

- Ed & Pearl Jam