Back in 1995, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder inducted Neil Young into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, now it seems Uncle Neil will be returning the favor. After months of speculation, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced Neil Young has been selected to induct Pearl Jam at this year’s ceremony.
Pearl Jam and Young have had a long history together. The relationship started even before the band was named “Pearl Jam”. In 1991, when Pearl Jam was still called Mookie Blaylock, the band was being forced to change its name. Bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready explained in a 2007 Rolling Stone interview that Ament came up with “pearl” and that the band later settled on “Pearl Jam” after attending a concert by Young, in which he extended his songs as improvisations or “jams” of 15–20 minutes in length. Neil Young also later became a strong mentor for the band, guiding them through the chaos that was brought on by their quick and immense popularity which started in the early to mid 90’s.
Pearl Jam has also played Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit nine times, with the most recent being in 2014. Pearl Jam and Young also collaborated on Neil Young’s 1995 album Mirrorball and Pearl Jam’s EP Mirkenball which was released the same year.
Pearl Jam was chosen for induction its first year of eligibility, 25 years after the release of their first album, Ten.
Other artists named to induct this years class include Jackson Browne inducting Joan Baez, and Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush inducting Yes. The names of those inducting the Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, Nile Rogers and Tupac Shakur will be announced at a later date.
Tickets for the 32nd Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will go on sale Friday, Feb. 3 through www.ticketmaster.com. They start at $50, and VIP packages will also be available through Ticketmaster, as well as www.barclayscenter.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
The ceremony will premiere on HBO and be broadcast on Sirius XM. Broadcast details will also be announced later.
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