After drawing heavy criticism for anti-war comments onstage in England last week, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder doubled down with a statement released on his band’s official site. After showings of support from ex-Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and many others, Vedder resurfaced onstage in Portugal with a more direct musical message.
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At PJ’s July 18th solo show in Meco, Portugal, Vedder further discussed his feelings about war at length and, for the first time in his career, performed John Lennon’s “Imagine”.
Armed with only an acoustic guitar, Vedder laid out his reasoning for playing the song. “I think it is the most powerful song ever written, which is why I have never played it,” Vedder said. “It seems like maybe there is a reason to play it.”
He then clarified that being anti-war doesn’t mean you play party to drawing lines in the sand. “If you’re anti-war it doesn’t mean you are ‘pro’ one side or the other in a conflict,” he said. “However, it does make you ‘pro’ many things…Pro-peace, pro-human, pro-evolution, [it] makes you pro-communication, pro-diplomacy, pro-love, pro-understanding, pro-forgiveness.”
