The moment 90s rock god risked his life by climbing on stage scaffolding in front of 70,000 fans-Laura Harman-Entertainment – Metro

The Pearl Jam frontman shocked fans while performing at Magnuson Park in Seattle in 1992 (Picture: MTV)

Eddie Vedder, the beloved frontman of Pearl Jam, once climbed stage scaffolding mid-performance to retrieve a microphone – and it was as scary as it was legendary.

The frontman of the 1990s alternative band had a memorable stunt at a 1992 performance at Seattle’s ‘Drop in the Park’ festival. 

While performing to thousands of fans following overnight success, the then 28-year-old frontman threw his microphone in the air and it got caught in the scaffolding of the stage.

The frontman took it upon himself to retrieve it and scaled the scaffolding without any harnesses or protection.

He nimbly manoeuvred around the structure and then used the cable of the microphone to slide down as he returned to the stage and swung out into the crowd on his way down.

The terrifying stunt delighted fans and became a signature move of the lead singer who would then frequently scale on-stage rigging during performances.

Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, and Dave Abbruzzese in 1992 (Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)

The stunt delighted fans (Picture: MTV)

The performance took place at Magnuson Park in Seattle at the start of their fame (Picture: MTV)

The singer swung out to the audience (Picture: MTV)

‘I was channelling something different,’ Eddie said reflecting on his escapades in an interview with Revolver.

‘I reached that place you hear about where a mother lifts a car off her two-year-old child. It was that kind of adventure. At that point in my life, finally having the opportunity to perform for larger crowds, I genuinely felt like I had nothing to lose.

‘I wasn’t thinking about what might await me in the future. It was all about the present moment. This mindset aligned with the message we, as a group, wanted to convey to the audience at that particular time.

‘Risking my safety to evoke such emotions became part of the program,’ he explained.

The band is still going strong and performed together in 2024. (Picture: Jim Bennett/Getty Images)

Pearl Jam cancelled tour dates earlier this year, leaving many fans disappointed. Eddie Vedder revealed that he was suffering from an illness that left him feeling ‘near death’.

The Alive singer told the audience at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in June: ‘Can I just say that the last week, it almost felt like a near-death experience.

‘It was very uncomfortable, and it got frightening. It felt like chest bronchitis. 

‘It felt like maybe you couldn’t breathe, and maybe you wouldn’t make it through the night, and maybe you’d have to go to the hospital.’

‘You just realise how precious this life is. How lucky we are to have been living on a planet where we can go around and play to incredible people like the people in this room here tonight,’ he concluded.

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