Yesterday Pearl Jam confirmed that they would in fact cancel their Raleigh, NC show originally slated for tomorrow. Last night at Hampton Arena, Eddie Vedder took a moment to explain the reasoning behind the cancelation before the first encore which started with a rendition of “I Am a Patriot,” who he dedicated to “all the soldiers and the LGBT community.” 

An apologetic Vedder noted the boos in the crowd, saying, “I can’t tell from here if you’re booing North Carolina or if you’re booing us for having to decide we won’t play there. I’d probably understand that too.” Pearl Jam is no stranger from ridicule from their own crowd, after all, this is the same Eddie Vedder who was once booed by some for donning a George W. Bush mask on stage. Last night, however, the boos were indeed for North Carolina as Vedder continued, noting that it was a “hard process” to decide on cancelation as they wanted to still play and donate the funds to organizations working to reverse HB2. 

“The reality is there’s nothing like the immense power of boycotting,” Vedder said. “We couldn’t find it in ourselves in good conscious to cross a picket line.” The frontman also apologized to the people going to the show, particularly the locals who “have the same ideals as us.” Adding, “They have a reason to be pissed, but we’re pissed off too, but we got to be pissed off at the right people and get them to change their mind.”

Watch the footage below.