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Danish Police Dispute Press Accounts Of Roskilde Investigation
The members of Pearl Jam will meet with Danish police investigators next week to give their account of the events that led to the deaths of nine people in a crowd crush during the band's set at Denmark's Roskilde Festival in June. The band has also released a statement from the Roskilde police commissioner that disputes reports that police investigators consider the band to be “morally responsible” for the deaths.
“It is not true that the [preliminary police report on the tragedy] holds Pearl Jam ‘morally responsible’ for the tragic incident,’” the commissioner said in the statement, which was posted on Wednesday (8/2) to Pearl Jam’s Rumor Pit website. “It is also not true that the police have stated that Pearl Jam ‘whipped the crowd into a frenzy.’”
The statement goes on to blame an incorrect translation of the Danish text for reports that Pearl Jam “appealed for violent behaviour” at its concerts. “What was written was that according to some sources the band is known almost to appeal to the audience to behave in an uninhibited way,” the statement said.
Pearl Jam is not under criminal investigation, the statement said, but police are interested in getting the band’s version of events when they come to the U.S. to meet with the band next week.
“We are eager to participate fully with the ongoing investigation of the tragedies that occurred at the Roskilde Festival during our performance on June 30,” Pearl Jam said in a statement. “Although we stayed in Copenhagen until the 2nd of July with the hope that we could meet with investigators on the day following the tragedies, a meeting did not take place at that time. We now look forward to finally meeting with investigators next week in the U.S.
“We feel strongly that all aspects that may have contributed to the deaths and injuries at the Festival be identified and examined from every angle and we will participate in every way possible to make sure that this occurs. We owe it to everyone that has been impacted--all of those we lost, all of those who loved them, all of those who were injured and all of the fans who attend our performances--to learn about all factors that might have contributed to the Roskilde tragedies so that steps can be taken to prevent future tragedies of this nature.”
Meanwhile, Pearl Jam has also announced that it will release 25 double-CD sets from their European tour through the band’s official fan website on Sept. 5. The albums will be in stores on Sept. 19.
