Eddie Vedder-led Pearl Jam recently paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins, Tom Petty, Neil Peart and Charlie Watts during their recent show in LA.
Pearl Jam frontman gets emotional while paying tribute
Last week, band had their second consecutive show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Well, it seemed that Pearl Jam felt a bit nostalgic, paying tribute to those who have passed away.
Pearl Jam kicked off the show with “Long Road” off of the band’s 1995 Neil Young collaboration “Merkin Ball.” It is noted that halfway through the performance, Vedder stopped singing and took the time to dedicate the song to his Uncle John who had passed away.
“There’s a guy in my life called Uncle John, John Vedder. He took me to some of my first concerts, he taught me how to play baseball, took me to early Cubs games, he kind of shaped me from an early age and it’s been 10 years since he passed away today,” Vedder said, visibly emotional.
“And it’s been a long 10 years… the days got longer because I appreciate every day and I want to live every day in his name… And then because I missed him, the days got longer. So, anyways, I just had to get it out of my system before we play tonight.”
Later in the concert, before launching into their drum-forward new song “Dark Matter,” Vedder again took some time to pay tribute, this time to a few famous drummers who recently passed away.
“Can we just talk drummers for a second? We’ve got some incredible drummers in the house tonight. I just caught a glimpse of Mr. Chad Smith, he’s here, from Red Hot Chili Peppers. And I think a guy that you would know, Mr. Jack Irons is here in The Forum tonight,” Vedder said.
“You know in the back hallways they have these large pictures of some of the history of the building and there’s this beautiful photo, it kind of took my breath away to see it, but there’s just an incredible shot of [Foo Fighters’] Taylor Hawkins playing here. [Audience bursts into a massive applause]. A couple years ago, just randomly, some of the greatest of all time, we lost Taylor, [Rolling Stones’] Charlie Watts, [Rush’s] Neil Peart. So, not that we could be anymore grateful that we already are, but it sure means so much to us on a nightly basis to be on the stage with this mighty, mighty, Matt Cameron right here on the drum kit.”
“And, of course, before playing “I Won’t Back Down,” Vedder remembered Tom Petty, and revealed that the guitar he was playing was actually a gift from the late musician.
“The day before we left, [when] we were starting the tour, I went into this back room of mine, and I had space to take one more guitar on the road …This guitar was screaming out, ‘Pick me, pick me,’ Vedder explained.
“And I know the reason why, and I think it’s because of tonight, because the person who gave me this guitar and used to play this guitar in this room was our great friend Tom Petty. And this guitar is so happy to be in front of people again. We all miss him and we’re all so fortunate to still have the songs to always remind us and he doesn’t feel that far away at any given time.”
Pearl Jam are set to hit the road again on June 22 with a show at Dublin, Ireland’s Marlay Park, opening a nine-stop European tour that will keep the band on the road through July 13. Following that, the group will return to the U.S., gracing high-profile stages in August and September. For more information on the Dark Matter World Tour, visit pearljam.com/tour.
