Pearl Jam have been announced as the first headliners for the returning BST Hyde Park Festival in 2021.
The US band will become the first artists to play two consecutive nights at the AEG-promoted event when they take to the stage on July 9-10 next year. They will be joined by Pixies on the first night and Idles on the second, with full support bills still to be confirmed.
Pearl Jam had been due to mark their 30th anniversary by playing BST Hyde Park 2020 before the concert series was cancelled, along with all other UK festivals, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Little Mix, Duran Duran and Kendrick Lamar had also been announced as headliners for this year.
Pearl Jam jumped at the chance to celebrate after having to cancel their show this year
Jim King, AEG Presents
Jim King, CEO of European Festivals at AEG Presents, said: “We couldn't be happier to be back and we can’t wait to bring everyone together with BST Hyde Park 2021, for what could be the most memorable British Summer Time ever. Pearl Jam jumped at the chance to celebrate after having to cancel their show this year and we are honoured that they agreed to play two consecutive nights, a first for BST. As their fans know, they are the perfect artists for such an unprecedented double bill.”
Tickets go on general sale from 10am this Saturday, October 10. Fans who bought tickets to Pearl Jam’s cancelled sold-out 2020 Hyde Park show are guaranteed tickets if they rebook and will gain priority access to see both shows with a two day ticket. The festival has also unveiled a new payment plan so fans can pay for their ticket over several months.
While the Rolling Stones performed on consecutive weekends at the first BST Hyde Park event in 2013. Pearl Jam will be the first to perform two consecutive nights at the festival.
The news is a positive sign for the UK concert industry as it bids to get back to full capacity shows in 2021. Speaking to Music Week earlier this year, King said the growing belief that the risk of coronavirus being transmitted at outdoor events was "very low" offered hope for the open-air circuit as it bids to get back on its feet.
“While the development of operational solutions for both indoor and outdoor formats should run in parallel, I feel we need immediate traction for recovery," he said. "Outdoor potentially offers earlier success where there’s content opportunities that deliver a less operationally demanding creative environment that lends itself to almost self-managed social distancing."
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