Pearl Jam lead guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Mike McCready recently did an audio interview. During the interview, he discusses how the Red Hot Chili Peppers got them on the same bill with other rising stars such as Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins during the 1992 incarnation of Lollapalooza and how McCready will forever be grateful for that opportunity. Alternative Nation transcribed McCready’s comments
McCready: Lollapalooza was a very big deal for us and the Red Hot Chili Peppers got us on that bill. We will always be thankful for them for that because they were very good to us in terms of the tour before that when it was us and the Smashing Pumpkins before that and a couple of Nirvana shows in there. The [Red Hot] Chili Peppers were always gracious in terms of getting us lights, sound, soundcheck and were hugely influential on us in terms of how to treat other bands cool and I will always love them for that.
McCready continues:
McCready: That tour, Lollapalooza was a whirlwind because it started off kind of low-key and then everything exploded for us. We were on four o’ clock in the afternoon. Thousands of people were there early, it was a mind-blower for me, it was a game-changer. We only had one record so we really had a lot to prove. We were young, angsty and full of it, full of a lot of things but it was a really fun tour. Soundgarden was amazing.
During the same interview, McCready discusses what being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame meant to him and Pearl Jam as well as what was so terrifying about the induction process.
Host: I’ve been dying to ask somebody that’s in the rock and roll Hall of Fame this question and that is: for every kid that’s ever daydreamed about being in any Hall of Fame, what is it like to be casually referred to as: “Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Mike McCready”
McCready: Well, you know, I forget it’s part of our legacy until you bring it up but I still totally love it. I look at it as a huge honor and when we were going out to do that and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame I thought: “we can do this, it’s just another show”, but then I got there and got super nervous because it was on TV and the legacy of it all, the hype. Whatever my perception of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was growing up, seeing the [Rolling] Stones in there and never knowing or believing that our band would ever be in there.
Host: Yeah.
McCready: It was amazing. Amazing and terrifying at the same time and I think what it did was change some sort of perception about our band. In terms of when I talk to people. I don’t know what that is, I don’t know how to quantify that other then it solidified something in our history. I’m very proud of it, you know
Host: Yeah, Pearl Jam is my generation.
