Red Mosquito

Jeff Ament didn't help matters either, telling the audience unsympathetically, "We'll try to come back at the end of the tour but, you know, oh well." Neil Young stood on the side of the stage and looked hurt. After Ament's speech, he broke into "Rocking in the Free World" for the second time that day, as if twice playing the only song most people in the crowd knew would make everyone feel better. It didn't.

Two days later, physically and emotionally drained, they canceled the remainder of the tour. "I think we all agreed that it had gotten insane, that it was no longer about the music," says Vedder.

''It sounds like it's not a big deal,'' he says. ''But I thought I was going to die. We've been in some pretty tense situations as far as crowd control, and usually I pull it off. I think they just thought I was going to pull it off.