PEARL JAM - PEARL JAM STAND BEHIND BUSH BASH

LATEST: PEARL JAM frontman EDDIE VEDDER is standing by his onstage bashing of American President GEORGE W BUSH.

At a concert on Tuesday (01APR03) in Denver, Colorado, some fans walked out when Vedder impaled a mask of Bush on a microphone stand and then slammed it to the stage and stomped on it.

Earlier in the show, the rocker made anti-war remarks to a mixed chorus of boos and cheers.

He donned the mask to perform BUSHLEAGUER, a Bush-bashing track from Pearl Jam's new album RIOT ACT.

In the song, Vedder calls Bush "a confidence man," spitting, "He's not a leader, he's a Texas leaguer."

But in a statement, the band addresses reports Vedder's actions sparked a mass walkout.

It reads, "There were close to 12,000 people at the show. It's possible two dozen left during the encore but it was not noticeable among the 11,976 who were applauding. People were led to believe a mass exodus took place. It didn't."

The statement continues, "Dissension is nothing we shy away from, it simply should be reported more accurately.

"Ed's talk from the stage centered on the importance of freedom of speech and the importance of supporting our soldiers, as well as an expression of sadness over the public being made to feel as though the two sentiments can't occur simultaneously."