Pearl Jam is truly a band for the people as evident by what they did for a terminally ill fan that wanted to see the band before he died.
Per German outlet Taz (and translated Loudwire), Pearl Jam played a show on June 21 in Berlin. This show was a rescheduled date due to the pandemic. Fan Roland Mandel bought his ticket for the show back in 2019 before being diagnosed with ALS, which now requires him to be in a wheelchair, and he only has a few months to live.
When Mandel tried to see if he could transfer his ticket to the venue’s wheelchair section, he was denied due to the section’s seating already being filled. However, after a social media campaign, writing to the concert’s organizer and reaching out to various organizations in Berlin, Mandel was able to attend and watch the show from an area near the side of the stage. Efforts to help Mandel even helped another disabled fan get access to the show, too!
Mandel’s quest to see Pearl Jam got back to the band who invited him and his family on stage for a special moment that can be viewed below.
Mandel’s wife, Sandra Dragendorf, said, “Roland doesn’t have much left, just summer…It was so unbelievable. He was so excited, so positive, so full of adrenaline. This stays for eternity.”
What a moment! We did it everyone. Here’s Roland getting to live out a dream and getting a wonderful ovation. @AxelPicker #RVMforRoland #pearljam pic.twitter.com/LU1z3yM1tv
— Live On 4 Legs Podcast (@liveon4legspod) June 21, 2022
