Eddie Vedder
Pearl Jam Salutes Friends, Family, Taylor Hawkins at Gigaton Tour Opener
Pearl Jam was in a reflective mood last night (May 3) at San Diego’s Viejas Arena for the oft-postponed opener of its North American tour in support of the 2020 album Gigaton. Performing in a city where both frontman Eddie Vedder and drummer Matt Cameron have long-standing roots, the band saluted a host of friends and family in the audience, as well as Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died suddenly in March. Vedder revealed early in the show that Pearl Jam had chosen songs that had “something to do with the ocean, even if they don’t mention it in the words. Half of them were written in the ocean anyway.” Indeed, beyond opener “Oceans,” “Amongst the Waves” and “Given to Fly,” the band also played its famed “Mamasan” trilogy of “Alive,” “Once” and “Footsteps” (albeit in reverse order...
Eddie Vedder Teams With NASA for Moon Launch-Themed ‘Invincible’ Video
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has teamed with NASA for a video for his song “Invincible,” which features footage of the agency’s upcoming Artemis I Moon mission interspersed with a live performance of the track from his recent solo album, Earthling. [embedded content][embedded content] In the coming months, Artemis I will lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for a crew-less mission to the Moon and, in the future, will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface as part of a planned long-term human presence there. Footage included in the video features pre-launch tests and renderings of the Orion spacecraft’s eventual orbit of the Moon and return to earth. It was produced by Sami Aziz and edited by Lacey Young. “Invincible” is the opening song on Earthling, an...
Watch Eddie Vedder Cover Tom Petty and the Police With Benmont Tench and Stewart Copeland
Eddie Vedder’s been bringing out special guests during his Earthling tour. In Seattle, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan joined him to cover the Pretenders’ “Precious,” and his daughters both made appearances. Last night, during his reschedule Los Angeles show, the Pearl Jam frontman brought out Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench to cover “Room at the Top” and “The Waiting.” (He also helped out with “Long Way,” “Better Man,” and covers of Marvin Gaye’s “Baby Don’t You Do It” and George Harrison’s “Isn’t It a Pity.) During the encore, The Police’s Stewart Copeland hopped behind the drum kit for a cover of “Message in a Bottle” and Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Olivia Vedder also joined her dad onstage to sing her debut song “My Father’s Daughter.” Check out the setlis...
Duff McKagan Joins Eddie Vedder and the Earthlings to Perform The Pretenders’ ‘Precious’ in Seattle
Eddie Vedder’s Earthlings resumed their tour last night at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall after a brief pause due to someone contracting COVID. However, Vedder kicked off things off in style, by bringing up none other than Guns N’ Roses bassist and Seattle native Duff McKagan to cover The Pretenders’ “Precious.” [embedded content][embedded content] Vedder’s backing band consists of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, and midway through the encores, Guns N’ Roses bassist McKagan joined in for the 1980 hit. Vedder was also joined by his daughters, Olivia and Harper, for a few songs, and the setlist included various covers of classic rock hits including Tom Petty’s “Room at the Top,” George Harrison’s “Isn’t It A Pity,” and...
Eddie Vedder Responds to Nikki Sixx With Tommy Lee Jab
After Nikki Sixx hit back at him over the weekend in a tweet (and back-and-forth with fans), Eddie Vedder took another not-so-subtle swipe at Mötley Crüe. This time, instead of focusing on the band, the target of Vedder’s jab was Tommy Lee. At last night’s New Jersey show with Vedder’s solo band, the Earthlings, he decided to poke fun at the drummer’s intricate kit that is mounted on a roller-coaster track. Lee had this track custom-built to allow him to soar over the audience while performing (and if you remember, this happened). Anyway, during Chad Smith’s drum solo at the Earthlings concert, Vedder called out Lee by saying “That drum kit – that silver, beautiful machine that he is the engine of – does not need to elevate or rotate to do its job. Let me just point that out!” [embedded co...
Nikki Sixx Hits Back at Pearl Jam After Eddie Vedder’s Criticism of Mötley Crüe: ‘They’re One of the Most Boring Bands in History’
There hasn’t been a good rock band spat in…forever? Well, that has certainly changed! Eddie Vedder gave a lengthy interview to the New York Times last weekend (which was very interesting and wide-ranging) ahead of his new solo album, Earthling. In the interview, Vedder described working at a club in San Diego during the late ’80s where he’d load in band’s gear. “I’d end up being at shows that I wouldn’t have chosen to go to — bands that monopolized late-’80s MTV,” Vedder said. “The metal bands that — I’m trying to be nice — I despised. ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ and Mötley Crüe: Fuck you. I hated it. I hated how it made the fellas look. I hated how it made the women look. It felt so vacuous.” Now, Nikki Sixx has hit back. In a tweet, Sixx expressed his displeasure and mocked Vedder an...
Watch Eddie Vedder Dust Off Pearl Jam Deep Cut ‘Dirty Frank’ During Solo Show
Eddie Vedder and the Earthlings are only two dates into their intimate U.S. tour, and they’ve already managed to pack their setlists full of gems. After treating fans to Beatles and Bob Dylan covers, along with Pearl Jam classics, on opening night at New York’s Beacon Theater, Vedder and his band performed a collection of different songs during the second night at the venue. While they did play some of the same songs both nights, including songs off Earthling, covers of REM‘s “Drive,” Tom Petty‘s “Room at the Top,” and George Harrison‘s “Isn’t It a Pity,” Vedder switched up his Pearl Jam selections and dusted off “Dirty Frank” — a Ten deep cut that the band hadn’t played live since 2009. The song was a fitting selection though. Pearl Jam wrote it during their 1991 tour supporting...
Eddie Vedder Takes a Look Inside on the Compelling Earthling
“Are you ready for a bit of Echo Victor?” a reverberating Eddie Vedder announces at the top of his third solo album Earthling, invoking the radio alphabet code for “EV.” And all at once, it’s clear this is the Pearl Jam frontman’s 13-song transmission from beyond our world, our time, our lives, and our dimension. He is calling out into the universe with his own Voyager Golden Record to share what it is to be human here on our planet. Or is it nakedly in a dreamlike alternate timeline where the ‘90s are in the future, and everything all is a warm, analog avocado-and-harvest-gold rave-up visited by legends like Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr, and touched by love and loss equally? This is Major Tom beyond ground control, the man who fell from Earth. In the capsule out in the cosmic oc...
Eddie Vedder Confirms Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Ringo Starr Guest Spots On Solo LP, Unveils New Single
Eddie Vedder has confirmed an eye-popping roster of special guests for his forthcoming solo album, Earthling, including Elton John on the track “Picture” and Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr and Vedder’s own father, the late Edward Severson Jr., on as-yet-unspecified songs. As tipped here Tuesday, Vedder has also released the third single from the project, “Brother the Cloud,” which he co-wrote with album producer Andrew Watt as well as multi-instrumentalist Josh Klinghoffer and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. [embedded content][embedded content] A multi-faceted rock track with a powerful finish, “Brother the Cloud” is already generating discussion as to the identity of its subject. Speculation centers around the song being about Vedder’s brother Chris, who died in an accident in 2016,...
Eddie Vedder Announces Solo LP Track List, New Single Details
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has confirmed the tracklist for his upcoming solo album, Earthling, due February 11 via Seattle Surf/Republic. The third single from the 13-song project, “Brother the Cloud,” is due out Friday (January 14), the same day “Earthling” will be available for digital pre-order, and follows the earlier release of the singles “Long Way” and “The Haves.” A short snippet of “Brother the Cloud” can now be heard on Vedder’s YouTube channel. The intensely personal track will no doubt invite speculation as to its subject, as Vedder sings, “I had a brother but now my brother is gone / I search the sky for a glimpse of his blue eyes.” The chorus finds him at the top of his vocal register as he pleads, “If I could wish / wish it away / I would bleed out my knees and pray / t...
Eddie Vedder and the Earthlings to Tour in February
Eddie Vedder and his new all-star band, the Earthlings, will be hitting the road for a string of dates. Kicking off with a pair of dates at New York City’s Beacon Theater on February 3, the band will play only a handful of cities before returning to Seattle a few weeks later. On February 11, Vedder will release his first solo album since 2011’s Ukulele Songs. Titled Earthing, the collection features a pair of recently released songs in “Long Way” and “The Haves.” As for that all-star band, it includes drummer Chad Smith, keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Josh Klinghoffer, bassist Chris Chaney, guitarist/vocalist Glen Hansard, and guitarist Andrew Watt. At Ohana Festival, the band played their first two shows. Pino Palladino performed on bass at Ohana but is unavailable for this tour...
Eddie Vedder Shares New Song ‘The Haves,’ Announces Earthling Release Date
Earlier this year, Eddie Vedder released a new song “Long Way,” with the help of an all-star backing band. He unveiled that band at Ohana Festival in September, which included Josh Klinghoffer, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Pino Palladino and Glen Hansard. At the Vedder-curated event, the group tore through a bunch of covers during their two-nights headlining. This morning, Vedder unveiled the latest song off his solo upcoming album, Earthling. “The Haves” is a steady piano-driven ballad. [embedded content][embedded content] Additionally, Vedder announced that Earthling will be out on February 11 via Seattle Surf/Republic Records. The album was produced by Watt and recorded in Los Angeles. This marks Vedder’s first proper solo album since 2011’s Ukulele Songs. Earlier this year, ...
