Pearl Jam to headline Hyde Park Calling?

United Kingdom | | 29 January 2007

The Seattle five-piece have announced plans to play a one-off date in the UK this summer at London's Wembley Arena on June 18 - suspiciously close in time to the Hyde Park rock festival at which they have previously been rumoured to play...

The Wembley gig will be the band's first since they performed at the Carling Weekend: Reading And Leeds Festivals last year. Pearl Jam had previously stopped playing festivals after nine people were killed in the crowd at the Roskilde Festival in 2000.

The band have confirmed they will headline Germany's twin Southside and Hurricane Festivals (23 and 24 June) and Belgium's Rock Werchter Festival (on 29 June). If Hyde Park Calling takes place on the same weekend as it did last year (30 June - 1 July 2007), it would be able to accommodate Pearl Jam's tour schedule.

Last month's Q magazine claimed that Pearl Jam and Aerosmith are set to headline the two day event.

Even if the London festival does not take place on these dates, it would not necessarily rule out a UK festival appearance, with both Download (8-10 June at Donington) and O2 Wireless (also in Hyde Park, 14-17 June) as possibilities.

Watch this space.

Tickets for the Wemley Arena show will only be made available through the official Pearl Jam website www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam at this stage.