A couple of nights ago, I ran into this Facebook post. It suggested that following criticism by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder of a recent speech by Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker which has generated considerable controversy, Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Chiefs, had cancelled three shows which Pearl Jam were scheduled to play.
Of course there were plenty of comments. Some people rejoiced that supposed advocates of "cancel culture" (by which I presume they meant Pearl Jam themselves) were now victims of having had shows canceled. Other people - many of them, in fact - clearly expressed support for Arrowhead's actions.
According to this post, this was the statement that officials of Arrowhead Stadium sent before going ahead and cancelling the shows:
"We stand with Harrison and his admirable moral values. Vedder and his band can find somewhere else to play.
The move will cost the band around $14 million.
There's just one problem with all of this. None of it is true.
That's right. This is fake news.
Admittedly, I was very reluctant to bother making any comment of my own for this post. In recent years, I have just frankly grown tired of the pointlessness of even trying to debate fans and loyal followers of Cult 45. However, perhaps against my better judgment, I finally went ahead and did so. This is what I wrote:
Pearl Jam didn't have any shows scheduled for Kansas City, let alone three shows for Arrowhead Stadium. Don't take my word for it, do some research and see if I'm wrong. Here's a link to Pearl Jam's 2024 Tour Announcement from February, if anyone wants to confirm:
DARK MATTER WORLD TOUR 2024 NEWS FEBRUARY 13 2024:
https://pearljam.com/news/dark-matter-world-tour-2024
So far, there have been no responses - yet - to my comment. I tried to keep the comment politics free, and just focus on the fact that this story, however much they seem to like it, just isn't true. I am half expecting no reaction, but am also half preparing to be called out as a commie and a libtard and all of those other reasonable and very grown-up responses, which Trump fans have more or less made their trademark.
Maybe I am not as big a fan of Pearl Jam as I used to be, but one thing that I have always admired about them is their outspokenness, their willingness to stand up and speak out about serious and weighty issues which matter. I applauded them at the concert in Nassau Coliseum in Long Island more than two decades ago when they were basically booed off the stage after playing their controversial track "Bushleaguer," which was basically a criticism of then President George W. Bush. In fact, that kind of bravery and willingness to stand up, even in the face of controversy, was what got me to become such a big fan and admirer of the band in the first place.
Now, of course, Vedder's words are apparently shocking and obviously not popular with Trump fans. It always makes me laugh when those who loudly proclaimed "Fuck Your Feelings" act shocked and hurt whenever someone levels a criticism at Trump or his supporters.
Not to be crass, but let me just say it anyway: Frankly, fuck 'em.
So I applaud Pearl Jam, and Eddie Vedder specifically, for taking often unpopular stances on issues such as this. Harrison Butker made some comments promoting what largely seems like a pro-Trump, MAGA kind of a stance. So I hardly think that people should act shocked that serious criticism is leveled at him. Nor should fans of Pearl Jam act surprised - as some of them seemingly always do - when this band takes a hard stand on issues that matter to them. I remember some of them acted surprised and/or disappointed when they spoke out against the Iraq war, back in the days when it seemed that most people still supported it. Some of them basically took the stance that members of the band should just shut up and play music.
In fact, Pearl Jam has always taken political stances and made strong statements from the earliest days, including when Eddie Vedder made a makeshift image of a hanger as a statement against then President George H.W. Bush (not W, or Junior) back in 1992, and then several times prominently displayed his "No Bush 92" message on another t-shirt. That was back when the band was really first getting hugely popular. They have remained outspoken on many issues ever since. So how can it still apparently be shocking to so many that they still remain outspoken?
Below is the image of the Facebook post that I am talking about, as well as the link to the page, if you wish to take a look for yourself:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=777121524550141&set=a.574637788131850
Eddie Vedder slams Harrison Butker at Pearl Jam show: ‘Nothing more masculine than ... supporting a strong woman’ by Variety May 20, 2024:
"You see the kicker doesn’t have the pads because he doesn’t tackle anybody or get tackled — but he started telling men, ‘Don’t forget to puff up your chest and be more masculine,'" Vedder railed at the Las Vegas concert.
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/eddie-vedder-slams-harrison-butker-pearl-jam-show-nothing-masculine-su-rcna153067
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