North Vancouver Pearl Jam mega fan goes to New York for their induction into Hall of Fame
Matt Humphrey | CBC News | Posted: April 8, 2017 2:39 AM | Last Updated: April 8, 2017
Jason Leung quit his job to follow the band and is thrilled by its induction into the Hall of Fame
Pearl Jam is being inducted into Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame April 7.
Among the hundreds of fans who will be attending the induction ceremony is North Vancouver's Jason Leung.
Leung says his passion for the band led him to ditch his career as a civil engineer and chase Pearl Jam all over the world. He chronicled his experience in his book This All Encompassing Trip.
"The raw energy, the music really spoke to me, the lyrics. They looked like really cool guys," said Leung.
Leung first saw the band play live on MTV when he was a young boy, and he says the experience sparked a lifelong love affair.
Since 1990, the Seattle band has released an even flow of hit albums.
Pearl Jam has passed the 25 year requirement for induction and talk show host David Letterman will perform the 32nd annual ceremony, filling in for longtime Pearl Jam friend Neil Young.
Leung joined host Stephen Quinn during On the Coast to share his story of how in 2005 that love affair led him and two friends to follow the band across Canada in a beat-up van to see every one of their shows.
'I don't think I've stopped since'
Now his adventure has reached a special chapter as he and hundreds of fans gather in Brooklyn, New York, for the induction ceremony.
"Through Canada, that was about a month," said Leung. "We continued on through the U.S. for three months, and then I did a solo thing through Europe and Australia ... I don't think I've stopped since."
By picking up odd jobs in between tours, Leung has been able to finance his worldwide show-to-show journey. He says after seeing the band perform more than a hundred times he has met a legion of Pearl Jam fans and formed enduring friendships.
"You spend a lot of time with these people and you see them at every show," said Leung. "It's almost like our own church. We go there. We have the same connections ... We just put all our problems aside and we go to the show."
Leung says he has never walked away from a show disappointed. Even if the band doesn't play its best, seeing all of his friends always makes him feel like the man of the hour.
With files from On the Coast