Pearl Jam performed “Whale Song” with former drummer Jack Irons’ son Zack Irons at the Ohana Festival on Friday, as Jack himself was unavailable. Irons played on Pearl Jam’s No Code and Yield before departing the band in 1998 and being replaced by Matt Cameron.
Vedder told fans Pearl Jam were ‘nearing the end of our travels of the United States for the year.’ He said there was a large group of devoted ‘travelers’ who follow the band around on tour, even mentioning a woman who follows the band where it’d be easier to ask her how many shows she’d missed instead of how many she saw. Vedder said these fans look for ‘white whale’ songs, so playing “Whale Song” is fitting. He said, “It’s written by one of our great drummers, Jack Irons.”
“We hope it sends vibrations to our friends under the water.”
Setlist: Low Light, Sometimes, Corduroy, Got Some, Scared of Fear, Dark Matter, Daughter/Beautiful World (Devo), Even Flow, Wreckage, Who Ever Said/I Can’t Get No Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones/Devo version ), Amongst The Waves/Modern Girl (Sleater-Kinney), Waiting For Stevie, Habit (w/ Liam Finn), Leavin’ Here (Holland/Dozier), Porch
Encore: Future Days, Whale Song (w/ Zach Irons), Do The Evolution, Alive, Rockin’ in The Free World (w/ Zach Irons & Crowded House), Yellow Ledbetter
