Pearl Jam on Wednesday was forced to cancel the band’s final two West Coast concerts following more positive COVID tests within the group. Bassist Jeff Ament tested positive on Wednesday morning while drummer Matt Cameron continues to recover from a positive test last week.

The canceled shows were previously scheduled for Wednesday, May 18th in Sacramento, CA and Friday, May 21st in Las Vegas, NV. Cameron had already missed three concerts over the past week. At those shows, Pearl Jam deployed a stable of ringers including touring member Josh Klinghoffer, Ament’s frequent collaborator Richard Stuverud, original drummer Dave Krusen, and even a pair of lucky fans like 17-year-old Kai Neukermans to fill his seat.

As the band wrote in a statement announcing the cancellations,

While the band battled through Oakland after drummer Matt Cameron tested positive for Covid, and Fresno where Ed and the band got through it with the help of Dave Krusen as special guest drummer, they now have to present the heartbreaking news that this morning bassist Jeff Ament has tested positive for Covid.

This is horrible for everybody involved and we are especially sorry to those out there who have made plans to attend these shows.

Our attention to staying inside the bubble has been constant. We have truly done all that we could have to remain clear of infection.

Regretfully, the Sacramento and Las Vegas shows are canceled. Ticket refunds will be automatically processed to ticket holders’ method of purchase. We are so very sorry. Be safe out there.

Pearl Jam is set to resume its tour behind Gigaton—which has faced two years of postponements—on June 18th at the Pink Hop festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands. The tour returns to North America on September 1st in Québec City, Québec ahead of a run of U.S. tour dates. For tickets and a full concert schedule click here.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Pearl Jam (@pearljam)