AceShowbiz - Roskilde Festival is one of Europe's largest music festivals and is held annually in Roskilde, Denmark. In 2000, Pearl Jam was one of the headliners and approximately 50,000 fans came to the concert. While the number of the audience was deemed normal for large concerts at this stage, a crush occurred during the rock band's set on June 30 at the Orange Stage.

At first, the security did not realize the seriousness of the situation until some concertgoers who were lifted over the barrier at the stage told them. The band was asked to cut their set short and attempted to calm the crowd down, but it was too little too late for several people who were trampled upon. Nine people died in the incident and twenty-six others were injured, three of them seriously.