During a recent short African performance, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder told a funny story about being told he couldn’t bring his ukulele on a plane, but later being able to bring it after a conversation with someone working on the plane.
“One day the person at the plane said, ‘You cannot take that on the plane.’ I said, ‘Well I normally do, and I think it is okay.’ She said, ‘No, you cannot.’ I said, ‘I might need to speak to your boss, because this is a very important instrument, and I keep it with me. I’m not going to put it under baggage.’
She said, ‘No, I can assure you, you cannot, because earlier this morning, a professional musician came, and we said no to him.’ ‘But I am a professional musician.’ I got to take it.”
Eddie Vedder is a ukulele enthusiast, with the instrument being a mainstay at his solo shows. He released a solo album titled Ukulele Songs in 2011. Vedder will play at the Innings Festival in Arizona in March, and is expected to release a new album with Pearl Jam at some point in 2019.
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