Mike McCready of Pearl Jam has finally explained why he smashed his guitar and pedalboard in the viral video.
In a recent interview with The Rock, the guitarist talked about the show and what made him destroy his equipment.
“What happened was, it was a European tour two tours ago. We had to cancel some shows because Ed got sick and I was like, ‘Oh my God we’re not going to be able to finish this tour, we’re going to have to end on not a good note,'” the guitarist recalled. “Then Ed got better and I was so excited to play our last show, it was in Amsterdam.”
Apparently, McCready’s excitement got the best of him, leading him to destroy his gear. “So, out of excitement, I decided to destroy the guitar and my pedal board. I have a long career of doing that. In my early days, I’ve taken out 70-something, enough to wear the Fender guitars that I originally was with. [They] were really pissed at me because everyone they gave me I broke back in the day.”
After a series of show cancellations due to Eddie Vedder’s vocal issues in 2022, the July 25 concert at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam finally took place. During the final song of the set – a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ – McCready attacked not only his Sunburst Strat but also his guitar amp and pedalboard.
Even after the Sunset Strat was left hanging by just its strings, the guitarist continued to slam it to the ground, hitting a Line 6 DL4, before walking around the stage to say goodbye to the crowd.
The guitar was believed to be a 2021 Custom Shop version of his favorite 1959/60 vintage Strat – a $15,000 instrument.
