First it was the Foo Fighters, now it’s Pearl Jam. Nope, scrap that. It’s not Pearl Jam. For now, at least.
We’re talking about crowdfunded concerts. This new fad started last year, when a Foo Fighters fan in Richmond, Va. decided it had been way too long since Dave Grohl returned home (kind of, Grohl grew up 96 miles away, near Alexandria) and played a show. Sixteen years, actually. This fan took to the internet, launching a campaign on Crowdtilt to bring the band to town. The campaign was a success. More than $70,000 was raised, and on September 17, a day christened Foo Fighters Day in Richmond, the band played a sold out show at the Richmond National Theater.
So, as with every great idea, imitation follows.
Daniel Sheffer decided he wanted to bring Pearl Jam to Forest Hills Stadium, a new venue in Queens, N.Y. Inspired by the Foo Fighters story, Sheffer kicked off his own campaign late last fall. A lifelong fan of Pearl Jam, he has raised more than $139,000 to bring the band to Queens.
All systems go, right?
Wrong.
Pearl Jam ended up not being receptive to the idea. The band’s manager, Kelly Curtis, has politely urged people to spend their money elsewhere, issuing this statement:
“We love the passion and enthusiasm of the fans who have spearheaded Pearl Jam crowdfund efforts. However, with more and more of these crowdfunded show proposals cropping up, we want to be clear before fans invest their hard-earned money into these efforts that they are unlikely to happen. The band’s shows are booked through their management and touring agents. A lot goes into scheduling, routing, producing, and promoting safe and successful shows for our fans. We will continue to rely on our experts in the field to ensure this remains the case for the band’s future tours.”
Sheffer has taken the news with Lloyd Christmas levels of optimism, saying:
“We will continue to crowdfund until we receive a hard no from the Pearl Jam management. Dreams do come true and we are doing this for the thousands of fans that have supported us, visited our website, and have done charity work all for this movement,” he says. “Pearl Jam are our heroes and we hope they can hear our proposal and give us more detailed feedback. We want this concert in Pearl Jam’s hands and by no means would want otherwise. We know they put on a show like no other. We are simply a grassroots movement that knows Pearl Jam Forest Hills would be amazing for the fans, the band, and the community. We remain faithful, as the song goes. We are the Forest Hills Faithful!”
So, Sheffer at least has positivity in his corner.
Just not Pearl Jam.
(Via the Village Voice)
