Pearl Jam at MEN Arena 17th August

Tickets go on sale for one of only two UK shows from the statesmen of grunge rock.

Pearl Jam have just announced a four-date European tour this August including just two UK dates – 17th August at the Manchester Evening News Arena, and 18th August at London’s O2 Arena.

After nearly 20 years in the business, the fact that Pearl Jam are certain to fill both massive arenas is a testament to their enduring popularity. They first rose to prominence in 1991 with their breakthrough album Ten, a collection of songs about subjects such as depression, loneliness, suicide and murder that eventually went 13 times platinum and has been certified as one of the biggest selling rock albums of all time.

Pearl Jam quickly became major players in the Seattle grunge explosion alongside Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden with their following albums Vs and Vitalogy. But Pearl Jam survived as grunge fell apart in the mid-nineties, exploring a more experimental, garage rock sound with albums No Code and Yield.

The band continues to record and release material and are now preparing for a series of reissues beginning with Ten to celebrate their 20th anniversary. They’re less chaotic in concert these days, but there’s still a sense of political anger throbbing beneath their heavy hooks and songs such as Alive, Jeremy, Even Flow, Daughter, Go and Spin The Black Circle are as vital as ever.

Tickets go on sale at 9am on 8th May, and with only two shows available, you can expect demand to be fierce. Get your mouse at the ready!