Mark Brown of Rocky Mountain News reported the following in the paper last Thursday, “Incensed fans walked out of Pearl Jam's concert Tuesday after lead singer Eddie Vedder impaled a mask of President Bush on a microphone stand, then slammed it to the stage. 

“Most of Vedder's antiwar remarks earlier in the Pepsi Center show were greeted with mixed cheers and scattered boos. But dozens of angry fans walked out during the encore because of the macabre display with the Bush mask, which he wore for the song Bushleaguer, a Bush- taunting song from the band's latest album, Riot Act.”

The band has issued the following statement in response. 

Statement from Pearl Jam
April 4, 2003

There were close to 12,000 people at the April 1st Denver show. It’s possible two dozen left during encore but it was not noticeable amongst the 11,976 who were applauding and enjoying the evening’s music. It just made a better headline to report otherwise.

In Concert-goers jam exits after anti-Bush display, an article written on April 3 by Mark Brown in the Rocky Mountain News, readers were led to believe a mass exodus took place. It didn't, which can best be ascertained by lack of any mention of it in the show reviews from the day prior, notably Mark Brown's. Dissension is nothing we shy away from; it simply should be reported more accurately.

Ed’s talk from the stage centered on the importance of freedom of speech and the importance of supporting our soldiers, as well as an expression of sadness over the public being made to feel as though the two sentiments can’t occur simultaneously.

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