Pearl Jam performed at Paris’ Lollapalooza festival on Sunday, where temperatures reached an afternoon high of 36 C (96.8 F). They canceled a concert in Vienna on Wednesday, saying: “Due to the extreme conditions at the last outdoor venue outside Paris (heat, dust and smoke from the fires) our singer Ed Vedder’s neck was damaged. He has seen doctors and received treatment, but so far his vocal cords have not recovered. This is brutal news and horrible timing… for everyone involved.” They added that they were “deeply sorry” and that refunds would be offered. Forest fires broke out in the southwestern Gironde region of France last week. Almost 40,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, while over 20,000 hectares of land have been burned. Smoke from the fires has reached Paris, where meteorologist Sébastien Leas told Franceinfo: “The sky is cloudy, a bit hazy and you can smell the burning.” Paris police tweeted on Tuesday: “You may smell a burning smell… this smell is definitely coming from the fires raging across France. The reason? The variability of the wind. Do not block emergency telephone lines. Do not call the fire brigade unless the presence of a fire has been proven.” Pearl Jam’s next scheduled date is in Prague on Friday night, on a tour described in a five-star Guardian review as “a sensitive, subversive new vision of classic rock”.
