SNEAK PEEK 'THE MORE YOU NEED'
“PEARL JAM: The More You Need - The Less You Get” features more than 60 photos of the band in an array of settings through the years. Most of the photos come from private collections, but many, including the cover photo, were provided courtesy of Pearl Jam via Universal Music Denmark and Monkeywrench Records.
Henrix Tuxen reflects here on some of the events of the past two decades that have left an indelible mark on his life – for better and for worse.
“This picture is from my first encounter with Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder. After a long life as a rock bassist, I stumbled into journalism purely by chance. I was friends with members of the band Fastbacks, Pearl Jam’s supporting act on their 1996 European tour, and I tagged along for their gigs in Barcelona and San Sebastian. At the time, Pearl Jam was basically Fort Knox in terms of the press, with rumors abounding that Eddie Vedder was peculiar, aggressive, suicidal and introverted. I discovered the exact opposite to be true and became a huge fan in the blink of an eye. I spent half the night after the concert in Fastbacks' backstage room, where Eddie was the first to arrive and the last to leave. The room buzzed with high spirits, tall tales and lots of love. I got to know Eddie pretty well during those days in Spain and I was blown away by his and the band’s performance – and how intensely passionate the audiences responded. Those days are etched in my memory – an experience I’ll never forget.”
“I became a fan in a way like never before. Also pictured here is the renowned photographer Charles Peterson, who took most of the legendary concert photos of Kurt Cobain during the early years in Seattle.” (from Chapter 1)
Barcelona, Spain – November 22, 1996. Photo: Henrik Tuxen.
“I ran into Eddie Vedder and we talked for about ten minutes before they went on the stage at Roskilde Festival in 2000. We reminisced about those great days in Spain, and his friend Chirs Cornell had just called to tell him that Cornell’s wife Susan Silver just gave birth to the couple’s first child. Everything was good, everyone was happy. And then everything suddenly changed. I was standing on the stage, right behind Mike, together with Marianne Søndergaard and Lene Westen from Sony Music. This photo was taken at the moment Eddie Vedder learns that a tragedy has occurred. Everything was chaos after that, and I felt like a surreal extra in a disaster movie.” (from Chapter 2)
Roskilde Festival – June 30, 2000. Photo: Johan Persson.
“I set my tour record in 2014, making it to 5 out of PJ’s 11 concerts in Europe. Tons of great experiences, incredible concerts, emotional moments with many relatives, countless backstage anecdotes, and a moving and personal dedication from Eddie to me and Susan from the stage at Wuhlheide in Berlin. The concert started out meditatively with Pendulum in the blazing sun, rolling on towards a roaring conclusion as dark clouds filled the skies, featuring a banging version of Rearviewmirror and insanely dynamic interplay between Mike and Boom on Crazy Mary, followed by Comatose, where they totally fucked up the intro and had to start over. We’re two hours and nine minutes into the concert. I’m standing next to my soulmate Kasper Schulz, surrounded by Norwegians who’ve downed more than their share of beer along the way. Eddie’s voice sounds out in the darkness: “We have a friend called Henrik here tonight. I just wanna say hi to Henrik... and Susan, really good to see you (…) Just friends from the old days. We’ve been going through a lot, we’re still going through it.” Some of the Norwegians turn around and yell, “Is that you?!” Others didn’t hear a thing. “I don’t know. I guess it probably is.” There’s a sense of peacefulness and I just let it linger. It’s more than I can fathom. (YouTube) The concert ends with an all-out rocking jam, surrounded by pitch darkness apart from the stage lights. Two days later in Stockholm, Eddie invites us to join him and the other band members backstage for a beer.” (from Chapter 16)
Stockholm, Sweden – June 28, 2014. Susan Nielsen, Eddie Vedder, Henrik Tuxen. Photo: Mike McCready.
“When my son Tobias was just a boy, I frequently brought home autographs as souvenirs when I interviewed rock stars around the world. Eddie wrote these lines in a split second. I felt that I had just witnessed an artist in the midst of the creative process. The text/poem contains enigmatic references to The Who and Pearl Jam. Plenty of wisdom on life and good, strong words for a boy of just six years. It’s now framed behind glass and hanging on a wall in Denmark.”
Solo interview with Eddie Vedder in New York City and subsequent interview with Mike McCready and Stone Gossard. The day that Henrik Tuxen agrees to discretely facilitate e-mail contact between Eddie and relatives of victims of the accident. (from Chapter 3).
“Stone Gossard contacted me in October 2003. The accident was constantly nagging at him and he felt a need to reach out to the relatives – if any of them wanted to meet with him. I facilitated the contact and travelled around Denmark and Sweden with Stone and his girlfriend Liz Weber a few weeks later. Pictured here are Stone and Liz at the home of the Gustafsson family in Tranås, Sweden. They lost their son Carl-Johan at Roskilde Festival in 2000. This is where the story begins. Birgitta and Stone in particular would go on to form a close bond and deep friendship.” (from Chapter 5)
Tranås, Sweden – November 3, 2003. Photo: Birgitta Gustafsson
“Just like in New York four years earlier. First a solo interview with Eddie and then shooting the shit with Stone and Mike. Unsolicited, Eddie gave me his telephone number and e-mail address – and he also wanted to take a quick photo of me with his old Polaroid camera before I left. First, a close-up of one eye and then the other; then he asked me to hold up the Polaroids in front of my eyes before the last shot. Exactly the same way that all of the band members (and a dog) are photographed on PJ’s rarity album Lost Dogs. In a way, it was like joining ‘Club Eddie’.” (from Chapter 8)
Photo: Eddie Vedder
“I travelled with Pearl Jam for concerts in Florida and Washington D.C. as part of the Vote For Change tour in 2004, an initiative headed by Bruce Springsteen, with a slew of prominent American musicians who launched tours to convince swing states not to reelect George W. Bush. The mission failed, but it was amazing to be along for the ride. Taken at the concert in Florida, this photo shows Pearl Jam with supporting act Death Cab For Cutie and actor/director Tim Robbins, one of PJ’s close friends. I had dinner with Robbins, Stone and Liz two days later in Washington D.C., and I can say that Tim Robbins is one of the funniest and most anarchistic people I’ve ever met.” (from Chapter 6).
“In connection with the 10th anniversary of the accident, I wrote an article for Gaffa featuring an interview with Stone and Birgitta. This article was later translated to English and posted on the band’s official website, pearljam.com. I took this picture the year before at a concert in London, where we had one of those weekends that you’ll never forget.” – Henrik Tuxen (from Chapter 11)
London. August 10, 2009. Photo: Henrik Tuxen.
“I had just seen the band in Berlin and here, three days later, at Forum Arena in Copenhagen. Berlin was a much better concert. Stone gave me 11 free tickets to the concert in Copenhagen, which had sold out in 30 minutes. So I could invite a lot of friends and family to the concert, including my children. Everyone was welcomed backstage, where we were treated to champagne and plenty of time to hang out with the stars. Here’s my daughter Lulu alongside Eddie, which is quite fitting, since the first thing Eddie almost always asks me when I meet him is, ‘How’re the kids?’ That night at Forum was really special.” (from Chapter 9)
Lulu Høi Tuxen and Eddie Vedder. Forum Arena, Copenhagen – July 10, 2012. Photo: Susan Nielsen.
“Having fun with jovial women in Santiago, Chile during Pearl Jam’s concert in the Chilean capital and just a few hours after Marie and I landed in South America in connection with the launch of my first book about the band in Spanish, entitled Tras la huella de Pearl Jam. Veronica translated the book and oversaw the whole project. Her niece Sara took a bunch of pictures; the girl with the book, Leila from Argentina, and her colorful friend Laura ‘Pink’ from Paraguay are now close friends.”
Estadio Nacional, Santiago – November 4, 2015. Photo: Henrik Tuxen.
“I saw a bunch of Pearl Jam concerts in 2006 and had a ton of great – and fun – experiences backstage. Here I’m with Eddie, Susan and her boyfriend Martin. Susan is from Denmark and was the photographer on PJ’s first European tour in 1992, right as the hype was beginning to take off. Susan became close friends with Eddie during that tour – a friendship that has lasted. I’ve been to lots of concerts with Susan around the world, and have met with her, Eddie and his bandmates just as many times. Susan generously shared her photos for this book. Thanks Susan.”
Prague – September 22, 2006. Photo: Unknown.
Pearl Jam Argentina posts a moving tribute dedicated to the nine victims on the 16th anniversary of the accident, June 30, 2016.
“All along, the intention of writing and publishing this book has been to honor and pay tribute to the deceased, in hopes that their story may contribute to saving lives when critical situations arise during concerts and other mass events. I had nothing to do with this post and don’t know who posted it. Thanks for the warm thoughts.” Henrik Tuxen.
“I meet Marie Hansen for the first time in New York City as the result of a totally coincidental Facebook post. Ever since, she’s been my business partner through thick and thin, playing a huge role throughout the process of writing and publishing this book. Two concerts on two consecutive days in Brooklyn, where Marie found herself chatting one-on-one with more than few international stars. The picture here is after concert number two: the best concert I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“I’ve played tennis for 25 years, so I recognized that John McEnroe was walking resolutely towards us as we stood talking with Stone after the concert. He’s a real character, and I’m probably a little guilty of the same, so I stepped right into his path, stuck out my hand for a hearty handshake and declared ‘Hi, I’m a tennis player.’ ‘Oh yeah?’ he replied astutely, eyes and head tilted, ‘I’m a guitarist.’ He then asked if Marie was Stone’s girlfriend. Which she was not, leading McEnroe to conclude: ‘Oh, so you’re just a person.’ I’ve always been a terrible photographer, but I still managed to capture the most notorious and cheeky celebrity in the history of tennis, together with ‘just a person’.” (from Chapter 15)
“A guitarist” and “Just a person”, aka John McEnroe & Marie Hansen. Brooklyn – October 19, 2013. Photo: Henrik Tuxen.
“It was pretty incredible arriving at a school library in Santiago’s Huechuraba district, where the school had purchased a class set of my book for the students. The books were kept in a locked cabinet or else we were told that they would definitely be stolen. An amazing experience. Those days in Chile and Argentina were frenetic and action-packed, with equal parts abandon and love. We lost our breath more than once!”
Santiago – November 11, 2015. Photo: Marie Hansen.
“The Chilean Pearl Jam cover band Piedra Negra have become our close friends and it’s pretty shocking how much lead singer Javier Diaz both looks and sounds like Eddie Vedder. Stone Gossard just about fell off his rocker laughing when we showed him YouTube clips of the band a few days later. I’ve had the chance to play with them quite a few times – mostly on guitar, but here on bass, playing ‘Go’ at the House of Rock & Blues in Santiago.” (from Chapter 20)
House of Rock & Blues, Santiago – November 7, 2015. Photo: Alejandro Andrés Calderón Espinosa.
“That insane trip to South America found a bit of calm for once when Stone invited me, Marie, Sara, Veronica and Leila to dinner in Buenos Aires the day after Pearl Jam’s concert in the Argentinean capital. It was impossible to eat at his hotel, partly because the hotel was besieged by fans, not to mention the fact that I didn’t have a chance of living up to the restaurant’s dress code. All my pants were in Chile. Restaurant Floreria Atlantico is a florist’s by day and a gourmet restaurant by night. I’m pictured here with Veronica and Stone after a long and hearty meal, accompanied by talk about the state of the world and much else.” (from Chapter 21)
Restaurant Floreria Atlantico, Buenos Aires – November 8, 2015. Photo: Sara Vega Bravo.
“The Bondebjer family lost their son Henrik in the accident, dramatically changing their lives. I’ve been in ongoing contact with the family since 2003. They sued Roskilde Festival, a case that took years in the courts and which they ultimately lost. They were contacted by film director Tor Kolding, who himself miraculously escaped on that tragic evening. He later made the documentary “Nine Rocks” about the experience and how it changed his life. The Bondebjer family appears in the film. I accompanied the Bondebjer family to the documentary’s premiere at Roskilde Festival on the 15th anniversary of the accident. Stone Gossard wrote a preface to the film, which was read aloud by Henrik Bondo Nielsen, the head of safety for the festival in 2000 and still a member of the fesitval management. I took this photo of Bondo, the Bondebjer family and Tor at Roskilde Festival’s Mindelunden Memorial shortly after the film was shown. It was a sorrowful, warm and emotional moment – and for me it’s the closest this tragedy has come to a reconciliation as of yet.” (from Chapter 19)
After the tragedy at Roskilde Festival 2000, nine birch trees were planted near the orange stage in memory of the nine victims, accompanied by a monument engraved with the words “How fragile we are”.
Lars Bondebjer, Henrik Bondo Nielsen, Ann-Charlotte Bondebjer, Gry, Sven-Anders Bondebjer, Tor Nygård Kolding, Fredrik Bondebjer. Mindelunden Memorial, Roskilde Festival. June 30, 2015. Photo: Henrik Tuxen.
“I didn’t come across Jane Jaques’ dramatic eyewitness account and the article ‘The Winners’ until 2015. The article is a first-hand account by two sisters, who were standing in the front row of the concert from 5:30pm to 11:24pm on ‘Stone’s’ side to the right of the stage, as seen from the audience: the presumed epicenter of the accident. They both escaped miraculously, but the older sister Lea still suffers from recurring nightmares 15 years later.
The article describes extensive safety failures during the course of events: Security guards who fail to act, react, and do something in time, despite clear indications early on that things were very, very wrong. To me, it’s disturbing reading and I wonder how I hadn’t come across these accounts before. The article is written by Kåre Quist, a seasoned journalist and news anchorman for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation with integrity and clout. In other words, not just anybody. When I later get a hold of Kåre by telephone, he grants me permission to reproduce the article in its entirety. It’s a story that also continues to rummage in his thoughts.
Jane and her sister Lea made it out alive, but for awhile they believed they were going to die as they were surrounded by many who lost their lives. Jane took this photo shortly after the concert started. To left of Mike McCready, you can see the contours of some people. One of them is me.” Henrik Tuxen (from Chapter 18)
Roskilde Festival – June 30, 2000. Photo: Jane Jaqué.
“Pearl Jam graciously granted us permission to use a wide range of official band photos here and in the book at no charge. This picture of the band from 2013 was taken in connection with the release of Lightning Bolt.” Photo: Danny Clinch/Universal Music Group.
