The Bush mask was not produced during the second date of the tour in Oklahoma City on Thursday night, local media reported.

Some fans had walked out on the tour's first show in Denver, Colorado, Tuesday when the band were put in the war spotlight.

Vedder told the Oklahoma City audience his Denver remarks were "misconstrued", the OKlahoman daily newspaper reported.

"Twenty-four people left because they were upset at an anti-Bush administration remark," he went on.

Denver press reports said dozens of fans walked out on the earlier concert after Vedder placed the mask on his microphone stand and then trampled on it during a rendition of a new song "Bushleaguer".

"He's not a leader, he's a Texas leaguer," the lyrics to the song say.

Pearl Jam also released a statement about the reported protests in Denver.

"There were close to 12,000 people at the April 1st Denver show. It's possible two dozen left during encore but it was not noticeable amongst the 11,976 who were loudly applauding and enjoying the evening's music," said the band.

"It just made a better headline to report otherwise."

The band added: "Dissension is nothing we shy away from -- it should just be reported about 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."

Vedder had used the Bush mask at shows in Australia and Japan. The Denver concert was the band's first since war broke out in Iraq.

US entertainers have become far more conscious of the need to protect their reputations during the war, with 300,000 US troops in the Gulf.

A Dixie Chicks singer derided Bush in March, triggering a boycott of the country group by some radio stations.

Madonna decided this week to pull the US release of her latest video showing anti-war images and a grenade being lobbed at a Bush look-alike.

SPACE.WIRE