by 
Eddie Vedder – Time Magazine – 1993
Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder unleashed a what some are calling an anti-Israel diatribe on stage during his band’s concert at Milton Keynes Bowl in England on Friday. Some people are completely losing their shit about this latest rant but his message has always been the same, he fucking hates war!!!b The messaged seemed to be anti-war rather than anti-Israel. That said, Ed has been vocal in the past over how much money the US has given Israel, so make up your own mind.
In a the video clip posted below, Vedder begins to address the tens of thousands of concert-goers in attendance in the middle of his band’s rendition of the hit song “Daughter.”
“What the fuck? What the fuck?” Vedder begins, taking sips of wine from a bottle he was holding on stage. “We can have this many people having a peaceful time. We can have modern technology. We can reach our friends. We know what they’re thinking before they’re thinking it. The advertisers know what we’re thinking before we’re thinking it. We have technology – all this in our hands.”
“At the same time that something this positive is happening, not even that far away, people are fucking dropping bombs on each other” he continued.
Watch the video and see it for yourself and then let’s take a little trip back and revisit Vedder’s history on the subject, you know just in case people think he did this for attention or some shit like that.
2002 Eddie Vedder: Grunge control
2003 PEARL JAM Concertgoers Head To Exits After VEDDER’s Anti-BUSH display
2004 Pearl Jam – Masters Of War – David Letterman Show
2005 The Political Pearl Jam – Part 1
2006 Pearl Jam Anti-War Song: ‘World Wide Suicide’
2006 RollingStone.com Q&A
2007 No More War
2007 Video
2008 ‘Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran‘
2009 A review of Slacker Uprising
2014 Imagine That — I’m Still Anti-War – Eddie Vedder
This is what Eddie Vedder had to say on the subject today.
Most of us have heard John Lennon sing
“You may say I’m a dreamer,… but I’m not the only one.”
And some of us, after another morning dose of news coverage full of
death and destruction, feel the need to reach out to others to see if
we are not alone in our outrage. With about a dozen assorted
ongoing conflicts in the news everyday, and with the stories
becoming more horrific, the level of sadness becomes unbearable.
And what becomes of our planet when that sadness becomes apathy?
Because we feel helpless. And we turn our heads and turn the page.
Currently, I’m full of hope. That hope springs from the multitudes of
people that our band has been fortunate enough to play for night
after night here in Europe. To see flags of so many different nations,
and to have these huge crowds gathered peacefully and joyfully is
the exact inspiration behind the words I felt the need to emphatically relay.
When attempting to make a plea for more peace in the world at a rock concert,
we are reflecting the feelings of all those we have come in contact with
so we may all have a better understanding of each other.
That’s not something I’m going to stop anytime soon. Call me naïve.
I’d rather be naïve, heartfelt and hopeful than resigned to say
nothing for fear of misinterpretation and retribution.
The majority of humans on this planet are more consumed by the
pursuit of love, health, family, food and shelter than any kind of war.
War hurts. It hurts no matter which sides the bombs are falling on.
With all the global achievements in modern technology,
enhanced communication and information devices, cracking the
human genome, land rovers on Mars etc., do we really have to
resign ourselves to the devastating reality that conflict will be
resolved with bombs, murder and acts of barbarism?
We are such a remarkable species. Capable of creating beauty.
Capable of awe-inspiring advancements. We must be capable of
resolving conflicts without bloodshed.
I don’t know how to reconcile the peaceful rainbow of flags we see
each night at our concerts with the daily news of a dozen global
conflicts and their horrific consequences. I don’t know how to
process the feeling of guilt and complicity when I hear about the
deaths of a civilian family from a U.S. drone strike. But I know that
we can’t let the sadness turn into apathy. And I do know we are
better off when we reach out to each other.
“I hope someday you’ll join us,…”
Won’t you listen to what the man said. — Eddie Vedder – 2014
#stopkillingyourfellowbeings
