Is Gleason Getting Pearl Jam to Voodoo?
Did an Italian Twitter account break the news?
Recently, PearlJamOnLine - the Twitter feed for an Italian Pearl Jam fan club - tweeted: "RUMOR: Pearl Jam will play at @VoodooNola (New Orleans) in November?"
Pearl Jam's Mike McCready performed at Gleason Gras last year, and that event is produced by Rehage Entertainment, as is Voodoo, which gives the rumor some credence. McCready got involved with the festival after he became friends with Gleason when Gleason attended the PJ20 Festival in 2011. McCready joined Gleason and his brother-in-law Vinnie Varisco when they ran a half-marathon at the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon New Orleans in February. McCready told RollingStone.com:
He's the most inspirational person I've probably ever met in terms of someone who has a good attitude and is doing something proactive about his predicament. That's a cool thing to be around. I look at Steve and I can see his muscles are going, but at the same time he is creating a hospital for ALS patients to better their lives.
Pearl Jam also plans to release a new album this year, adding to the likelihood of a tour. In the same interview, McCready says:
I would say as a cliché answer it's kind of a logical extension of what Backspacer was. But I think there's a little bit more experimental stuff going on. There's a Pink Floyd vibe to some of it, there's a punk rock edge to other stuff.
At this point, we have no response from Rehage Entertainment's Stephen Rehage.