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Pearl Jam postpones North American tour over coronavirus outbreak

Posted at 10:44 PM, Mar 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-09 23:02:26-04

(WXYZ) — Not long after announcing their first album in seven years and a North American tour to boot, Pearl Jam announced Monday that the first leg of their tour will be postponed because of the spreading coronavirus.

"Unfortunately, communing in large groups is a huge part of what we do as a band and the tour we’ve been busy planning for months is now in jeopardy," the band posted to its Facebook page. "We have and will always keep the safety and well-being of our supporters as top priority."

There are currently 600 cases of the virus in the United States with a reported 22 deaths.

The group says the health concern over the novel coronavirus has affected their families as their children's schools have closed. The band also cites travel concerns regarding having fans travel from all over to attend concerts, which also factored in the postponement.

"We’ve worked hard with all our management and business associates to find other solutions or options but the levels of risk to our audience and their communities is simply too high for our comfort level," the band said. "Add to that we also have a unique group of passionate fans who travel far and wide. We’ve always been humbled by this and respect their energies and devotion. However in this case, travel is something to avoid."

The first leg of the Pearl Jam "Gigaton" tour, which is named after the latest album, will be rescheduled for a later, currently undetermined date, according to the post.

Read their full statement below: