At the Optimus Alive festival in Lisbon, Vedder reportedly told the crowd, "Thank you for coming to our last show. Not our last ever, but our last in a long time."
Now, before anyone gets carried away and suggests the band is breaking up in any way, consider that the festival was the last show of the “Backspacer” tour; Pearl Jam have been on the road for most of the past year, and are due for a break.
In the big picture, this is part of the normal recording/touring cycle: artists need time to regroup to consider their next moves and, in this scenario, PJ are planning some down time.
Although thematically similar, the PJ news should not be confused with The Black Crowes’ recent announcement that their “Say Goodnight To The Bad Guys” tour will be followed by an “indefinite hiatus.”
As for PJ, there are other things going on these days….
A solo Vedder track, “Better Days,” was released last month as part of the soundtrack for “Eat Pray Love,” a Julia Roberts film due in August. My original post on it is here.
Better Days (From "Eat Pray Love") - Better Days (From "Eat Pray Love") - Single After playing a couple of Seattle shows last month, Stone Gossard’s side project, Brad, releases their fourth disc - “Best Friends?” - on August 10.
PJ drummer Matt Cameron joins his original band, Soundgarden, for a reunion show at next month’s Lollapalooza festival in Chicago; more shows may be confirmed.
PJ recently released the third single from “Backspacer” – “Amongst The Waves” – and a companion website to help raise awareness about ocean preservation. US proceeds from the iTunes sale of the video will benefit Conservation International’s Ocean Campaign.
Pearl Jam - Amongst the Waves (Live) - null Pearl Jam - Amongst the Waves - Backspacer Pearl Jam – Amongst the Waves (2009)
Backspacer - Pearl Jam
