Pearl Jam’s longtime guitarist Mike McCready rocked a bit too hard and ended up taking an unexpected fall off stage.
The incident occurred well into the concert, during the band’s Dark Matter World Tour. As McCready approached the stage’s edge, he unexpectedly fell off.
Fan footage from the concert reveals that McCready continued his jam session on the ground, undeterred, until security arrived to assist him back onto the stage.
Upon returning, McCready grinned and continued his performance seamlessly, as if the incident never happened. The exact moment of McCready’s impromptu stage dive found its way to X (formerly Twitter).
Fans React to the Long Time Pearl Jam Guitarist Taking a Stage Fall
In the comments to the full YouTube video, Pearl Jam fans were impressed the the veteran guitarist’s resolve after the fall.
“LEGEND!! Eats the floor, doesn’t miss a note!!”, one Jamily member gushed. “Absolutely incredible that Mike falls off the stage and doesn’t miss one note,” a second Jammer wrote. “In my book he is a universal talent. Incredible dude. So glad he’s all right. Love Pearl jam to infinity and beyond man,” they added.
“He just disappeared from the frame, but didn’t miss a note. Now that’s concentration! I hope he’s OK,” a third PJ fan wrote.
Finally, another Pearl Jam fan joked that the tumble was all part of the act. To them, it was a lyrical interpretation.
‘“Okay Mike , we really need you to interpret the lyric ‘left the porch’ as much as you can with your solo. Get literal if you have to”
Mike, “okay, here goes….”’, the fan quipped.
It seems the 58-year-old, who has been with Pearl Jam since its formation in 1990, is fine. McCready hasn’t missed a gig following the tumble.
The veteran rockers are on the road to promote their new record Dark Matter, which dropped in April. The tour will send the godfathers of grunge to arenas all over North America.
The band will perform back-to-back concerts at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 3-4. Before their US gigs, they will tour in Ireland, the UK, Germany, Spain, and Portugal, concluding their international tour in New Zealand and Australia in November.
The comprehensive set list, featuring 25 songs, boasts 9 tracks from their most recent album.
While the tour primarily spotlights Dark Matter, the band incorporates favorites from their 1991 debut Ten, such as “Jeremy,” “Alive,” and, without fail, “Porch,” into their performances.