Pearl Jam Kansas City concerts, explained: Debunking the cancellation rumor in light of Harrison Butker's comments

Brendan OSullivan

Pearl Jam Kansas City concerts, explained: Debunking the cancellation rumor in light of Harrison Butker's comments image

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker ruffled feathers after his commencement speech at Benedictine College's graduation went viral.

News organizations scooped up the story as millions of people, including teammates, voiced their opinions on his address, in which he spoke out against "dangerous gender ideologies" and LGBTQ+ Pride month, among other topics. Celebrities spoke up, too — mostly criticizing Butker for his regressive comments.

Eddie Vedder, lead vocalist of the rock band Pearl Jam, shared his disapproval at one of his concerts in Las Vegas.

"The irony was that the football player — well, kicker; you see, the kicker doesn’t have the pads because he doesn’t tackle anybody or get tackled — but he started telling men, ‘Don’t forget to puff up your chest and be more masculine. Don’t lose your masculinity.’

"There’s nothing more masculine than a strong man supporting a strong woman,” Vedder said.

Not long after the Pearl Jam show in Las Vegas, a viral Facebook post claimed the band was canceling its upcoming Kansas City shows. The Sporting News debunks that post and explains how it connects to Butker.

MORE: Why Harrison Butker double downed on his statements

Pearl Jam cancels Kansas City shows, debunked

After Vedder criticized Butker at his Las Vegas concert, a May 21 post on Facebook falsely proclaimed: "Kansas City cancels three Pearl Jam shows at Arrowhead Stadium."

The post and others similar to it originated on a satirical website, and Facebook flagged the related page as "satire/parody." Facebook flagged the post as fake, which helped users realize the rumor was baseless.

If this wasn't enough proof, Pearl Jam did not even have concerts scheduled in Kansas City. Indeed, the band is about to embark on a European tour.

Yes, Vedder disagrees with Butker's opinions. But there were never Kansas City shows to cancel in the first place.

Pearl Jam 2024 tour dates, locations

DateLocations
May 30Seattle, Washington
June 22Dublin, Ireland
June 25Manchester, England
June 29London, England
July 2Berlin, Germany
July 3Berlin, Germany
July 6Barcelona, Spain
July 8Barcelona, Spain
July 11Madrid, Spain
July 13Lisbon, Portugal
Aug. 22Missoula, Montana
Aug. 26Indianapolis, Indiana
Aug. 29Chicago, Illinois
Aug. 31Chicago, Illinois
Sept. 3New York, New York
Sept. 4New York, New York
Sept. 7Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sept. 9Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sept. 12Baltimore, Maryland
Sept. 15Boston, Massachusetts
Sept. 17Boston, Massachusetts
Sept. 27Dana Point, California
Sept. 29Dana Point, California
Nov. 8Auckland, New Zealand
Nov. 10Auckland, New Zealand
Nov. 13Gold Coast, Australia
Nov. 16Melbourne, Australia
Nov. 18Melbourne, Australia
Nov. 21Sydney, Australia
Nov. 23Sydney, Australia

Brendan OSullivan

Brendan OSullivan Photo

Brendan O'Sullivan is an editorial intern for Sporting News, joining in 2024. He previously worked at Newsday on Long Island, New York after graduating from Quinnipiac University.