Seattle in the ’90s has reached mythological status. A time when the world focused its collective attention on a tiny scene of bands that had nothing in common other than a love of distortion, riffs and authenticity.

It gave birth to household names – chiefly the ‘big four’ of grunge: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden – but it also snuffed out the candle for some of its most iconic musicians.

Drugs and depression were an undercurrent that swept through the city like the Duwamish River. Kurt Cobain, Andy Wood, Layne Staley were all claimed by addiction. Chris Cornell and Mark Lanegan left longer legacies, but were still taken too soon.

For Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, they were friends and bandmates. People he misses dearly. And the grief hit him all over again during the Covid lockdown.

“I was sitting around thinking about the singers that had died in our scene,” he tells me from his studio over Zoom. “I’ve had dreams about some of them and they haunt me sometimes. I was thinking, ‘Was it worth it for all these guys and women?’”

He didn’t know how to answer that question. He sought solace the only way he knew how: through art. Writing it all down seemed the best place to start.

“I could only write what I know. But I wanted to do it in the context of a historical fiction of the Seattle music scene. And I wanted to change the names and create its own world within it.”

McCready’s name is intertwined more than most. He got his first break when Cornell invited him to play on Temple of the Dog, the Soundgarden frontman’s tribute to his departed friend and roommate Andy Wood. Pearl Jam formed at the same time. A later stint in rehab sparked Mad Season, his part side-project, part therapy with Layne Staley and Mark Lanegan.

This new project, however, was outside his comfort zone, so he sought advice from friend, director and lifelong Pearl Jam fan Cameron Crowe. He was convinced: this could be a rock opera.

But not just yet. A stage show is still on the cards, but Farewell to Seasons is releasing first as a graphic novel that tells the story of Seattle through four fictional bands.

It’s packaged with a soundtrack album that features all-new songs from McCready, who is also singing for the first time, alongside a band of Seattle music vets including Duff McKagan, Dave Matthews bassist Stefan Lessard, Fastbacks drummer Mike Mussburger, Chris Friel, Nate Yaccino and Thunderpussy’s Molly Sides.

While it was challenging on both practical and emotional levels, McCready ultimately found the project cathartic. In a candid interview, he revisits his favorite musical eureka moments, the Seattle guitarists who most inspired him, and just what’s next for Pearl Jam.

You said you’re haunted by these ghosts. It must have been challenging to dig into the history of the Seattle scene and your part in it, given how many friends and fellow musicians you’ve lost along the way.

It was. It’s hard to think about the whole scene and how young and naive everyone was, and how much this explosion happened in this relatively provincial small city of Seattle, Washington, where everybody knew each other.

I was playing in a band prior to all that called Shadow, and I wanted to put that in the story as well. That’s one of the bands that’s actually named after the real band.

I felt like we never really got the props that we should have over the years, because we were 16 and playing all around the Northwest and doing shows. We broke up when everything started happening. I spent my 10,000 hours with that band, and I’m very proud of that era.

But later, getting to play with Layne or Chris or Lanegan, all these incredible singers, and now they’re gone. Kurt, for that matter – I didn’t know him at all really, other than him being an incredible singer-songwriter. Even Hendrix. What would they be doing now? Would they be blues artists? Would they be painters? That’s what haunts me to this day.

You moved to L.A. with Shadow to try and make it. When did you realize it hadn’t panned out?

About a year in, I got really sick with Crohn’s. We played a bunch of shows down there. Rick Friel, our bass player at the time, booked all the shows and made it all happen. We opened up for Andy Taylor. I got to see some cool stuff – I saw Jane’s Addiction at a club; I saw the Welcome to the Jungle video shoot.

The reason we moved down there was that Duff McKagan stopped by the Shadow house in ’84, and said he was moving to Los Angeles. And we were like, “There’s something to that.” And then a year later, they put out that EP [Live ?!★꩜ Like a Suicide].

It was a year of me working at Aaron’s Records, drinking too much, getting Crohn’s, going, “I can’t do this anymore.” So I moved back and I gave up. I quit playing music for two years from ’88, ’89. I was done. And then I got a call out of the blue from Stone.

What do you remember about that moment when you first played together with Stone? That must have been pivotal for you as a guitar player, to come back to the instrument after almost giving up.

When I got the call from Stone, I was working at a pizza place and I had given up. I was depressed and probably drinking too much. I was at my friend Tim DiJulio’s house, playing to a Stevie Ray Vaughan record – so I was still playing a little bit. And [Stone] saw that – I remember him walking in when Love Bone was still happening. But I had known him since seventh grade – Seattle was very small in the ’80s and in the early ’90s before it blew up. We all knew each other, we all went to the same parties.

When we started playing together, selfishly, I was like, “’Okay, this seems to be my door. I better walk through it.” I always think of this Paul Westerberg quote: “Opportunity knocks once and the door slams shut.” After me going through LA and not making it and being depressed, all of a sudden this thing happens when I’m not looking for it. And out of a death – Andy Wood dies. That was an interesting musical paradox early on for me.

It was exciting. It was new. Who knew what was going to happen? But I felt like we connected first through humor. And then, he just had a ton of riffs and when we started playing, I wanted to do something opposite of what he was doing. Kind of like Aerosmith did stuff – early Aerosmith was in my mind back then – and I was going to be the lead guy, I guess, was his thought.

Farewell to Seasons starts with a young teenager, David Williams – who is based on you – jamming in his bedroom. Can you remember the moment you got your first guitar and started jamming in your bedroom?

It was late 1978, early ’79. Мy dear friend Danny Newcomb, who was the guitar player for Shadow, lived on my block and we were both 11. And I met Rick and Chris Friel. I’m a Cub Scout playing soccer, and all of a sudden I see this Kiss lunchbox that my friend Rick has. Those guys are playing and then I join them within six months.

We’re playing shows at 12 years old – our drummer’s eight. We started playing right away at talent shows in junior high. We rented a church out called the Unitarian Church. I just found a ticket for it the other day – it was a dollar. The Friel house is where everybody went and we would rehearse there all the time, three hours a day, five days a week for five or six years.

What was that first guitar?

It was a $100 Matao Les Paul, black. It was pretty good. It had a good neck on it. I smashed it and then I fixed it. I was doing that early and I kind of regretted it. I was 12 and I threw it in the air at this talent show – there’s a picture of me chucking it in the air in one of the Pearl Jam books. Yeah, I was way into The Who. [laughs]

Another thing that really struck me is how the novel depicts your life with Crohn’s disease. David’s parents say, “All he does is use the bathroom and play guitar.” Did playing guitar help you deal with Crohn’s?

[Laughs] I think it’s a little harsh on my parents because they were really supportive, actually. But for story’s sake, we kept it in there.

The pain that comes with Crohn’s disease – which feels unbearably bad in your gut, and it’s embarrassing and you shit yourself, and all sorts of stuff I’ve had happen to me over the years – I believe my playing got better because of that.

And it also got me back to Seattle from L.A. – so I look at it as a catalyst. This is with perspective; when I had it, it sucked and I thought my life was over. And it turns out it wasn’t. Luckily there’s a lot more medications and diets now than when I got it. I continue to work with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation because of that.

But yes, I think it helped – it made me play deeper, hopefully. It was an antidote. Guitar is an antidote to many things for me.

And of course, you had your own addiction problems, but guitar was always there. You even formed Mad Season out of rehab.

As I was spiraling in my addiction and alcoholism in the early ’90s, I luckily got into rehab. I got out and I was kind of naive – like, “I want to get everybody sober along with me.”

Layne was my friend, I saw him struggling and I wanted to help him out, but also wanted to create music with him because I was sober for the first time. It gave me confidence, whereas I didn’t really have the confidence as much with Pearl Jam because everybody was such great writers for those first three records.

Mad Season allowed me to explore my writing abilities with Layne and my friend Baker [Saunders], and then I always wanted to play with Barrett [Martin] because he was this great drummer for the Screaming Trees.

The premise of it was to help Layne or help all of us… but everybody’s got to help themselves. I had to find out the hard way.

Collaboration was such an important part of the Seattle scene. What are the jams and recording sessions that really stick in your mind?

We did a cover of Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) by Hendrix with myself, Chris Cornell, Matt Cameron, and Jeff Ament [as M.A.C.C.]. Those guys [Soundgarden] were in recording one of their records and I just came by and said, “Hey, I’ve got an opportunity to do a Hendrix song. Do you want to do this?” And they were all up for it. We got to do that song during their session. Watching Chris sing on that one…

I had seen him obviously when we did Temple of the Dog. Temple was probably the first life-changing experience for me in terms of, “Okay, now I’m playing on this thing that’s very important.” This was a tribute to Andy Wood that Chris had written and I wanted to be very conscious of that but also play my ass off.

Prior to that, it was a big learning experience for me to let go, and Chris allowed me to let go and play all over that record. He was always super-cool to me and super-cool to Ed [Vedder]. So I’ll love him dearly forever for that situation.

Playing with Layne was great – the thing about Layne was that he would never talk shit about anybody. We’re all shit-talkers in Seattle, very passive[-aggressive]. Layne wouldn’t. He was funny and had a good heart. So when I got to play with him and I was trying to get sober, it was a mixed bag of emotions. I felt very proud of the project, but I was worried at the same time: am I getting too close to this? Could this be bad for me?

Playing with Ed for the first time [in 1990] was amazing. We were listening to some old tapes when he first got here – he recorded stuff on a boombox, and I went, “Fuck, this guy is good.” It was the first time I was in a situation where everybody was really firing on all cylinders when Pearl Jam first got together. And that was going on at the same time as Temple. A lot was happening very quickly.

Who were the guitarists that had the biggest impact on you from the Seattle scene?

Clearly the most obvious would be Hendrix, which is the scene before, but he made it in England and we all know the history of all that. I love to hear Kim [Thayil] play – he’s got an interesting style. He hits a chord differently than I hit; that allows him to move his fingers in that way in those Soundgarden songs.

I like Jerry’s style – he’s a great writer. Getting to see all those guys play was really fun, and getting to tour and open up for Alice in Chains when we were Mookie Blaylock was a fun time. Steve Turner and Mark Arm just beat the hell out of the guitars and there’s a relentless punk energy there, so that’s fun to watch.

The thing that surprised me about the Seattle scene is everybody’s so different, and this very small scene turned out to be huge. Kurt, of course, was a great guitar player in his way, as a songwriter – getting to see that live was incredible, too.

I’ve got to get to the inevitable Pearl Jam questions: what’s next and when are we going to find out who the drummer is?

We’re on a holding pattern right now because I’m working on this and Ed’s going to Japan. We’re going to find somebody. We don’t have anybody right this second to announce. I wish I did. I’m dying to play. We’ll make it happen – I’m excited to see where our future is. Everybody still wants to do it.

Were you surprised when Matt Cameron announced he was leaving?

I was kind of surprised. I think Matt was getting tired of being on the road; he’s paid his dues over the years and I wish him the best. It just wasn’t working for him anymore going on the road, and that’s OK.

We’ve been around a long time, and Matt was a huge reason we are still around; we were lucky to have him for 27 years. I was a little surprised and sad, but I also love him and I wish him the best.

Lastly, is there any new guitar gear that’s impressing you? Last time we spoke you were raving about Fender’s digital Tone Master amps, and lately you’ve been running FRFR cabs.

My guitar tech, Josh Schreibeis, has designed an amp modeling system and I think it’s made me play better. I used it on the Dark Matter tour. I love the consistency of it. [McCready’s live system is based around the Fractal Axe-Fx III – Ed]

I love the Tone Master [Pro] – I have it right here and I play on it every day [at home]. I can pick up any kind of pedal on that thing and it sounds pretty great.

I know there’s purists that probably aren’t into that, but I felt like my amp modeling system along with the old analog stuff has made me a better guitar player.

I can say, “Hey, I want this to sound heavier,” and he’ll go, “Okay, bam, it’s heavier.” He knows the technical stuff, and I know the verbiage – like, “Make it sound like The Byrds in 1966.”

I think it was the consistency of the amps over the Dark Matter tour that pushed me to play better than I have ever done. I just felt more confident.

• Farewell to Seasons is released on October 6 2026 via Z2 Comics.

Last week, Slash and Bruno Mars stole the show at a private event that took over the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, as they made an unlikely pairing on a host of classic tunes.

It's being reported that the 1,800-capacity venue was hired out by holding company Eldridge Industries, which is headed up by billionaire Todd Boehly. If this was its Christmas party, it sure beats bowling and pints.

Slash and his Guns N' Roses bandmate Duff McKagan starred alongside Chad Smith and super producer Andrew Watt as the heart of the all-star covers band, while Mars, Yungblud, Eddie Vedder, and Brandi Carlisle were among a smattering of stalwart singers to get in on the festivities.

They were billed as The Dirty Bats, with Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis donning a cowboy hat for his cameo, which included covers of Motörhead's Ace of Spades and Iggy and the Stooges' Search and Destroy. But it was the Mars-fronted portion of the set that stood out.

Mars gave some grit toWhole Lotta Love, excelled on a cover of the Police's Roxanne, and sounded impassioned on Jimi Hendrix's Fire with a Stratocaster in his hands.

He keeps hold of the Fender electric guitar as he howls his way through an adrenalized take of Nirvana’s smash hit, Smells Like Teen Spirit – one that Wolfgang Van Halen has taken inspiration from for Mammoth’s latest album.

Gear-wise, Slash is saddled up with a sunburst Gibson Les Paul (shock, horror), with a row of his signature Magnatone amps behind him. There are also a few Fender combos seen in front of the drum kit for the likes of Eddie Vedder and Mars to hook up to.

It was a pretty exhaustive setlist in all, with everyone coming together for the final two songs: Johnny B. Goode, a track synonymous with Back to the Future, and Rockin’ in the Free World.

The show came hot on the heels of Guns N' Roses releasing two new singles, Atlas and Nothin’. An album may soon follow in its wake.

“There’s so much material at this point – it’s a matter of having the discipline to sit down and fucking get into it,” Slash recently told Guitar World of a long-awaited new GNR record. “Everybody is thinking about it.”

The Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres recently battled it out for the Vedder Cup trophy – a literal custom electric guitar that takes inspiration from the 1963 Telecaster that Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder plays on stage.

For years, the two teams have been linked by Pearl Jam fans thanks to Vedder's association with each city, with fans jokingly dubbing their matchups “the Vedder Cup.” In 2025, MLB decided to make this official, and, in keeping with the theme, the trophy is a real, playable custom guitar designed by Vedder himself in association with Fender.

However, before it became the official trophy of the Vedder Cup, the Pearl Jam frontman couldn't help but give it a test run.

“We spent about an hour with it. He gave it a good run through,” George Webb, Pearl Jam's longtime equipment manager, tells The Seattle Times.

“He always likes to feel like he puts a little energy, you know, spiritual energy, into an instrument. Not just hand off something that’s brand-new, never-touched kind of thing. So yeah, jammed on it for about an hour. Had a good time.”

And while the name and logo for the event were unveiled in March, the guitar trophy (which, spoiler alert, was awarded to the Seattle Mariners) was only revealed recently, since the actual instrument was only finished in the last few weeks.

“Typically, on a custom build like this, it will take us six months or so to source the wood, get everything mapped out ready to go, and take our time to vet the process, apply the graphics, do some test runs,” comments Chase Paul, director of product development for Fender.

“On this, we just kind of headed into it in parallel with testing and the production version at the same time, and kind of getting it ready to go. Really incredible effort by the team in the shop.”

After all, the intricacy is in the details. Aside from resembling the same model that Vedder plays in terms of specs, there's also a silver-and-black cresting wave, hand-drawn by Vedder, that envelops the top of the instrument to the strap button – an element which proved tricky to add.

“It’s airbrushed on there and to try and get that to match what we had mapped out on the original graphics that George sent over, and tried to get that to pop, really, against the silver background of the guitar, that is probably the most difficult part of the whole thing,” explains Paul.

Other notable design elements include Vedder's signature on the front of the headstock, black interlocking team logos on the body and etched into the volume and tone control knobs, and a marking for EB Research Partnership (a charity co-founded by Vedder and his wife, Jill).

Plus, there are small chrome plates for the winning team of each season series to engrave the results of the matchup and their logo, and an arrow and a mod symbol between the two teams' logos that serves as a tribute to The Who, Vedder's favorite band growing up.

As Webb perfectly sums it up, “He wanted to make something that potentially could live in the team’s clubhouse during the season and be played by players, and appreciated and used.

“He doesn’t want it to be a hang-on-the-wall trophy piece. He wants it to be played. That’s his attitude with everything. It’s a living, breathing instrument. It sounds great.”

Speaking of custom and signature guitars, Vedder recently debuted one of Jack White’s signature guitars on stage to play a Pearl Jam deep cut.

Grammy-winning producer to the stars Andrew Watt started his career working with a who's who of the pop world, including the likes of Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, and Camila Cabello.

However, the super-producer took a turn down a more rock-oriented lane when he was approached by Ozzy Osbourne for 2020’s Ordinary Man – the Black Sabbath legend’s first studio album as a solo artist in ten years at the time. Four days later, Ozzy had already announced that he was working on its follow-up, 2022's Patient Number 9, with Watt once again at the helm.

“Rock is something that I love – it’s the music that speaks to me the most,” Watt confesses in a new interview with Guitar World. “But as I found my way into this business, I had these gigs playing for amazing pop artists and ended up writing their songs, and that became my footing and the thing that I was doing – making pop music that had guitar in it.

“When the Ozzy thing came around, I was so excited at the chance to do it, but also kind of doubting myself. Like, these aren’t the records I really make. But with the push and love and guidance from both Duff McKagan and Chad Smith, who were friends at that point, they were like, ‘Come on man, you gotta make this. Of course you can do it. It’s everything you love.’”

Indeed, Ozzy's endorsement led to a host of other rock-fueled albums from Watt, including Eddie Vedder's Earthling, Iggy Pop's Every Loser, Pearl Jam's Dark Matter, and the Rolling Stones' Hackney Diamonds.

Speaking about his approach to producing rock records that pay homage to each of these artists' incredible rock legacies, while giving them a more contemporary twist, he said, “Once we started making music, I kind of felt that confidence and that became the blueprint. For the Iggy album, we just kind of made music and then Iggy chose the tracks he liked and sang to them.

“Then that led me into working with bands that I love, like Pearl Jam – they’re the best live band there is. And obviously the Stones are everyone’s favorite rock band. Getting to sit in the room with those guys and just record a band doing their thing, keeping it really live, became really important to me and just my favorite thing in the world to do.”

However, Watt has never forgotten the legend that nudged him in a more guitar-fueled direction. As he puts it, “It all started with Ozzy. He and Sharon were the first ones to believe that I could make them a great rock album.”

Watt recently talked about his experiences working with another rock behemoth – a certain Beatle who showed him how to play a widely beloved Beatles song.

Jack White is continuing to share his signature guitars with players he admires, recently gifting Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder one of his signature Fender Acoustasonics – which was used onstage in Nashville to play Green Disease.

The fuzz-loving White Stripes hero dropped a score of signature Fender gear last year, including the mod-heavy Triplecaster, an amp with plenty of tricks up its (metaphorical) sleeve, and a new take on Fender's intriguing electric-acoustic hybrid, the Acoustasonic.

Vedder was gifted the latter, and it was promptly given its live debut in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Music City on May 6.

“This is my new guitar, given to me by Mr. Jack White, another future Hall of Famer. He's such a great human,” Vedder told the crowd.

Discussing White's Third Man Hardware company, which has also put out some drool-inducing pedals like the Knife Drop, Vedder adds, “You wanna know the secret between having a quality product and making money? The secret is you won't make money, but you'll make people happy.

“That's what we've seen Jack do. I'm very proud to be his friend, and thank you Jack for my nice new guitar.”

The attitude and punk-powered Green Disease was a fitting song choice, with Vedder laying into the strings with plenty of vigor.

Vedder joins a growing list of players to have snagged a taste of White's latest signature gear. White made an impromptu signature swap with Living Color’s Vernon Reid after they bumped into one another at an airport, while Kirk Hammett has joked that “Greeny is getting a bit jealous” after his legendary Les Paul watched from the sidelines as he took the Triplecaster for a spin. White also got a Greeny production model in return and was once afforded the opportunity to play the original Greeny on stage.

White has also used his signature collection to shine a light on lesser-known talents: he gifted his favorite new guitarist, who is based out in Japan, a Triplecaster.

Jack White, as a member of the White Stripes, will follow Soundgarden and some other long-overdue talents into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year. The guitarist is responsible for writing one of the most Googled guitar riffs, which came together almost by accident during a soundcheck in Australia.

He took to Instagram earlier this year for an impassioned rant about his approach to playing live and why you’ll never see him play a three-hour show. In November, he joined Paul McCartney on stage in Mexico to jam the Beatles.

Eddie Vedder has recalled the day he got his first electric guitar, which he received one Christmas morning after being lead to believe he'd been given a vacuum cleaner instead.

CBS Sunday Morning recently enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road with Pearl Jam after its cameras were invited to capture the band's Missoula, Montana, show – and it was during the subsequent interview with the band's frontman that the amusing anecdote came to light.

As Vedder recalls, he was 12 years old when he got his first six-string, which was gifted to him as a joint birthday/Christmas present.

“My birthday's December 23rd so I begged to have the two gifts put together to afford something as extravagant as an electric guitar, which I think was $115,” he explains. “I walked in Christmas morning and I could see the silhouette of it and my heart dropped. Then the lights came on and it was a vacuum.”

Luckily his disappointment was fleeting. “Everybody finished opening their presents,” he continues. “I'm getting little chills [remembering this]. They said, 'Oh, one more,' and they pulled out a guitar case, so that was nice.”

Vedder doesn't think the vacuum silhouette trick was an intentional misdirect, but this writer is certainly making a note on how to hoodwink any potential future children.

While the aspiring musician ended up getting the present of his dreams, his mother was left to take ownership of the vacuum he had less-than-enthusiastically opened: “How about my mom getting lucky getting a vacuum for Christmas?” he laughs.

Pearl Jam are deep into their US tour supporting their 12th album, Dark Matter, and it’s been an eventful one so far. It got off to a rather rough after guitarist Mike McCready fell off stage while soling – but somehow didn't miss a note.

Two months later the band invited a superfan onto the stage to jam Yellow Leadbetter after he'd traveled 7,000 to see them perform.

First guitar nostalgia has certainly been a growing phenomenon in 2024. Recently, Bon Jovi spoke about buying back his first-ever guitar, 45 years after regretfully parting with it. He’s used the now-returned six-string to pen a song on the band’s latest album, Forever.

As Vedder and Bon Jovi’s emotional tales attest, first guitars are a precious thing, even if they aren’t typically glamorous instruments. Guitar World has recently trawled the archives for stories from some of the biggest guitar players in the world and the guitars that set them on the path to six-string immortality, from beat-up flamenco guitars resurrected from Granma's closet and far beyond.

Hollywood star Bradley Cooper recently joined Pearl Jam on stage for a cover of Neil Young's Rockin' In the Free World, plus a bonus acoustic rendition of Maybe It's Time from A Star is Born.

The Bradley Cooper and Pearl Jam collaboration took place at Napa Valley’s BottleRock festival on May 25. Vedder introduced the Hollywood star as “my great, great pal Bradley Cooper,” after which Cooper joined him for Maybe It's Time. The two traded verses and came together to sing the chorus. Vedder also accompanied Cooper on guitar.

Cooper's guest appearance didn't end there. Towards the end of the set, he joined the band on backing vocals and tambourine for a raucous rendition of Neil Young's Rockin’ In The Free World.

Eddie Vedder previously covered Maybe It's Time in 2019 at Innings Festival in Tempe Arizona. Back then, songwriter Jason Isbell tweeted, “Holy shit Eddie Vedder sang my Bradley Cooper song in his set tonight. That is by far the strangest sentence I’ve ever composed but it’s certainly a huge honor. I was 12 when Ten came out and by god I learned how to play every song on it.”

A year later, Vedder revealed Cooper had shadowed him ahead of shooting A Star is Born. The rock veteran also gave Cooper advice on nailing the rock star persona. In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, he said, “I told him things like, you know, ‘Make sure your guitar covers your balls at all times. I think sometimes the guitar gets a little high. It looks more like a bib."

In that same interview, he also revealed that he was initially skeptical about Cooper playing a rockstar, but was mindblown after seeing the finished product. “When I saw it, I just was fucking blown away. It just… took me there and what he can do with his eyes and what they [Cooper and Lady Gaga] did together, and then Sam Elliott. I mean, it really took me there. I’m getting chills right now.”

Pearl Jam have a penchant for treating their fans to surprise guests. In addition to Cooper, the band invited their producer Andrew Watt to play Alive's guitar solo at their show in Vegas on May 16.

Mike McCready has described Eddie Van Halen's guitar playing as “music from another planet” in a recent conversation with SiriusXM, which saw the Pearl Jam icon try his hand at the late guitar legend's iconic instrumental, Eruption.

As part of the promo trail for the Seattle outfit’s 12th album, Dark Matter, the band recently guested on the Howard Stern Show. During the interview, McCready was asked about his long-standing love for Eddie Van Halen. 

“It's music from another planet to me,” he says. “I started playing guitar right when Van Halen [1978] came out, so it didn't really make any sense to me but I thought it was the greatest sound I'd ever heard.” 

Asked if he’d ever met Van Halen personally, McCready responded: “Only when we were doing our Lightning Bolt [album, released in 2013] in Los Angeles. He happened to be in the hall one day, and I happened to be listening to the first Van Halen album on the way to the studio.” 

He admits that he began to fumble his words, starstruck even with nine Pearl Jam albums and a Grammy win under his belt.  

He told Eddie that he’d “been listening to the first record, it's incredible.” Van Halen's reply? “Nah, I never really liked the sound of that record.” 

It’s a surprising but humble admission about a record that included Eruption, a song hailed as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time. Wolfgang Van Halen, however, recalls the exchange slightly differently – and with a few more expletives. 

McCready then treated Howard Stern viewers to his take of the incendiary track, sheepishly saying, “It’s really early Howard, so I don’t know it as well as I want to!” 

McCready previously burned through a cover of the track back in 2022, and has spoken to Guitar World about how important Van Halen – and Eruption – have been to his own guitar playing.

“Eddie Van Halen to me was a huge deal,” he said at the time. “I started playing when I was 12 years old and that’s right when his first record came out, and it was unlike anything I had ever heard.

“Eddie was another version of a guitar hero that felt like he came from outer space or something. Like, ’What is this? What is this Eruption thing?’”

Talking to legendary punk bassist Mike Watt is a unique experience. With a combination of middle-aged wisdom and the excitability of a teenager, he punctuates his road stories and sage observations with belly laughs and mile-a-minute rants on nothing in particular. “Back in the '60s a lot of people thought of the bass as a kind of toy, almost like a kazoo,” Watt told BP. “We had to fight and earn the bass some respect. On the other hand, there's something cool about people not really knowing what we do: we're left free to define ourselves.”

Watt grew out of Southern California's late-'70s punk-rock scene to co-found the Minutemen. The seminal post-punk band pounded out an extraordinary number of terse, frantic tunes with heavy political themes laced with elements of jazz, and funk. “Back then, you never knew what the next band was going to sound like. Almost anything went, and it wasn’t about haircuts or guitar styles. I miss a lot of the chaos of the old days.”

Watt has always been at his best when pushing the bass guitar to the forefront – much like one of his early heroes Jack Bruce of Cream. “Bass physics are trippy. If you stand too close to your amp, you're never really sure what it sounds like, ‘cause you throw your frequencies way out there, but bass players seem to like that feeling of the sound pushing against their legs; there’s something about it that gives you confidence. On the other hand, you don't know if the audience is hearing nothing but foghorn. That’s why I always hire bass players as sound men – because I’m paranoid!”

In 1995 Watt put together his debut solo album. An ambitious 17-song project, with nearly 50 alternative-music guests, Ball-Hog or Tugboat? included Flea, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, and Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl.

To record Ball-Hog, Watt used an old Eden VT- 40 head; since early Edens tend to overheat when pushed, he installed two fans on his, designed to keep running after the main power is shut off. He also used a dbx 4-band parametric EQ. “I need a little midrange for definition, but I like to scoop out the low mids. You've got to get rid of that stuff – it’ll bogart the whole band.”

When he hit the road, Watt brought along a Stewart PA-1000 power amp and used the VT-40 as a preamp. On a mid-tour visit to the Eden factory in Minnesota, he picked up a WT-800 head to replace the VT- 40, together with 4x10 and 2x10 XLT speaker cabinets.

“I used to use 15-inch speakers, but I destroyed eight of them on tour - the solder connecting the cone wires to the terminals would melt. I think the 15s couldn't handle the attack; with the Edens, the box acts like a 15, but you get the attack of the 10s. Plus, old man punk is small shit with wheels – I load my own stuff, and I just can't handle those big boxes anymore.”

For years, Watt was rarely seen onstage without his trademark '68 Telecaster Bass, before it came out of service in the mid-90s. In the Tele's place, he began throttling a '67 non-reverse Gibson Thunderbird, “I bought it because the case said Dee Dee Ramone on it, but man – it has that Live at Leeds sound.” 

Watt added a Bartolini TBX pickup, tweaking the electronics by changing capacitors. “To me, the whole character of a bass is it’s voice. It's a delicate thing to get that low, nasal sound without being a bogart.”

Another characteristic of the Gibson is the word ‘thunderbroom’ carved into the back of the mahogany body. “I was playing a gig in Phoenix, and some kid showed up with a Dremel Moto-Tool. He carved it righteous, a half-inch deep!”

Watt underwent surgery in 2000 and, following his recovery, switched to short-scale basses, including a Gibson EB-3. He has also experimented with a Guild Ashbory, an instrument with a 22-inch scale and silicone-rubber strings that was designed to mimic the sound of an upright. These days, he plays his Reverend signature Wattplower bass, which he co-designed with Ken Haas and Joe Naylor.

Watt has never been very keen on effects. “I think ‘effects’ come from the way you play. By the bridge, by the neck, close to the body, far from the body…I always thought there was enough variation there. I did try this green envelope filter – a DOD, I think – on the tune Tell 'Em, Boy! It's great because it interprets how hard or soft you play, instead of hiding your dynamics. I had a couple of Mu-Trons, but I used this green one because it's more extreme-sounding. I wanted to go over the top with it.”

In December 2019, Josh Klinghoffer’s world was upended when he was given the stunning and abrupt news that, after 10 years of membership in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, his services were no longer required and that the band’s longtime guitarist, John Frusciante, was rejoining. He didn’t see it coming, and for a period he felt numb, but given time and space he’s been able to process his dismissal and put things in perspective. 

“Obviously, it’s sad when something is taken from you,” Klinghoffer says. “I did a perfect 10 years with them, but for as much as I love those guys and loved playing with them, it was also enormously stifling creatively. They’re an established band with an established sound, and I learned over time how little deviating from that was possible.”

Asked to elaborate, he says, “When I first joined, I wouldn’t use certain chords when I was writing if they sounded like something John would play. Or if it sounded like a choice they would have made on their last album, I purposely went the other way.” 

He reveals that his efforts in trying to push the band toward new areas of expression proved frustrating at times, saying, “I thought I was doing a good job of writing music with them, but it wound up not kind of becoming part of my story, or if it is part of my story with them, it’s a small part. As much as I thought they were up for experimentation, they generally stayed in their own lane.”

Klinghoffer is quick to deem his tenure with the Chili Peppers “a blessing and a beautiful experience,” but he’s now able to view his departure from the band “the best thing that could have happened to me. I’m free to explore other musical avenues and perhaps find my own sound more than I was able to with them.”

It didn’t take him long to land on his feet. Shortly after he was cut from the Chili Peppers, he was asked to join Pearl Jam as a multi-purpose touring member, an association that soon led to him writing and recording with Eddie Vedder for the singer’s latest solo album, Earthling. 

Interestingly enough, that project – and a short tour coinciding with the record’s release – also included Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. “It was great to play with Chad again right away,” Klinghoffer says. “It felt so comfortable and familiar.” 

Since 2019, Klinghoffer has released solo albums under the pseudonym Pluralone. First there was To Be One with You, and a year later came I Don’t Feel Well. His latest album under the Pluralone moniker, This Is the Show, is a dreamy, largely synth-driven set produced by the guitarist’s onetime Dot Hacker bandmate Clint Walsh. 

“I was always planning to do my own music even when I was in the Chili Peppers,” Klinghoffer says. “There probably wouldn’t have been so many albums in such a short period of time because I would have had to work around their schedule. Now it’s going to be much easier.”

Most guitarists dream of getting in one big band. You were a Chili Pepper, and now you play with Pearl Jam. What is it about you that all these bands want?

“[Laughs] That’s a good question! I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. Some of it’s pure luck and timing, but I also think it might have something to do with my thirst for musical knowledge. I love other people’s music, but I don’t try to emulate anybody’s playing. I’ve never lost this sense that I’m a beginner, and I think that gives me a more primal approach to the guitar, and perhaps that makes my playing sound individualistic.

“Also, I never really lost the fan side of me. Whether it’s the Chili Peppers or Pearl Jam, I come at them with the same adoration of any fan who was affected deeply by their music, but I’m also somebody who is now in this position of playing alongside them. I try to be loving and supportive. I think that’s part of what carries me through.”

How did the invitation to play with Pearl Jam come about?

“Originally, it was like, ‘Come join us for this next tour,’ because at the time the record they were about to release [2020’s Gigaton] had a lot of backing vocals and other sounds – keyboards, extra guitars and all these miscellaneous things. 

“They were batting around the idea of having somebody else with them, but they didn’t want to turn it into this huge band. But when I suddenly became available, they thought, ‘Oh, this is perfect. We like him, and he can play anything we need.’ I mean, obviously, no one’s going to be in Pearl Jam except those five guys. They’ve had Boom Gaspar playing keyboards as a touring member for a while. But it’s great. I’m honored to say that these guys are my friends.”

You hooked up with the Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam when they already had deep catalogs. In each case, did you have to learn 100 songs in a week?

“I was already in the Chili Peppers’ orbit before joining them. I was good friends with John, and I toured with the band in 2007 as a second guitar player. I generally knew what they did and didn’t play, so I knew what to work on. Some songs from Stadium Arcadium I wasn’t familiar with on the guitar, but I knew Blood Sugar backward and forward. In the case of Pearl Jam, I know their catalog from record one to five like the back of my hand. Albums from 2000 onward, I don’t know as well.” 

You were the sole guitarist in the Chili Peppers. With Pearl Jam, however, you’re one of three, sometimes four, guitarists. What kind of adjustment was that?

“It’s certainly nice to not have to solo and to have this kind of musical bed beneath you. When I play guitar with Pearl Jam, it’s very background and supportive. They’ve got their bases pretty much covered. If they need a background vocal or a little guitar or keyboard part, I can focus on that. 

“It’s a different thing entirely, but I enjoyed doing both. Soloing with the Chili Peppers, even though I didn’t grow up soloing and I didn’t so much care about it, it was always fun. It was always a new experience every time.”

You’ve put out three Pluralone albums in as many years, and you co-wrote tunes with Eddie for Earthling. Writing doesn’t seem to be a problem for you.

“No, not so much. The thing that’s laborious for me is lyrics, but the more I do it, the easier it gets. Actually, the hard part for me is coming up with what to write about. There’s so much going on in the world, and there’s tons going on in one’s inner world, and there’s also been so much that has been said before. 

“Trying to come up with a unique way of saying generally the same thing, and doing it in a way that fits rhythmically with the chords you’ve written, that’s the real work for me.”

You got to play a lot of rocking guitar on Earthling.

“Absolutely. It was great to play a lot of guitar on the record. I love my playing on Brother the Cloud, which they released as a single. But Andrew Watt does a lot of guitar, too. A lot of the guitar on the record is him.”

On the other hand, there’s not a lot of guitar on This Is the Show. It’s more of a textural element.

“The record was born out of 2020 Covid times, trying to do an album remotely with my old band Dot Hacker. I’d write a song and send it to Clint Walsh, and he would communicate with the rhythm section. But it was hard to get four people to agree, and the Dot Hacker thing kind of fell apart. There were things that Clint and I really enjoyed working together on, so we just decided, ‘Hey, why don’t we just make this?’

“As for guitars, I think we were both in the kind of headspace of wanting to make an album that was more about songs. We didn’t consciously set out not to use the guitar, but it just kind of took shape that way. But having said all that, I feel as if the next album I do will be a return to guitar, because it’s been a while now.”

When you tour with Pearl Jam this year, will you be playing any new guitars?

“I found a really nice Custom Shop Tele that I used on the Earthling tour. It’s a beautiful, very faded Olympic White Custom Shop Tele, and I’m going to put a B- and G-bender in it. That’ll come out with me. And the other day I got a beautiful 1928 koa Martin. I’m a big fan of those little Martins, and I’ve never owned a koa wood acoustic, so that was enough for me to want to get it.”

• Earthling is out now via Republic.

After a long wait, Pearl Jam are finally out on tour in support of 2020’s Gigaton album, and eagle-eyed fans have already spotted some substantial changes to their onstage rigs.

Most notably, tube connoisseur Mike McCready has a pair of fresh Fender guitar amps stacked behind him, both of which bear a telltale Tone Master badge in the bottom right-hand corner, confirming them as combos from the Big F’s foray into digital versions of its classic amps.

The series’ Deluxe Reverb and Blonde Twin Reverb feature in McCready’s rig alongside a Lead Custom from Seattle amp builder Rola, which runs into a Marshall 4x12. Presumably, the Fenders handle clean tones, while the Rola gets switched in for dirtier sounds.

McCready’s live endorsement is one of the biggest seals of approval for the digital amp series yet. Of course, Fender no doubt hooked the Seattle soloist up with a combo or two when working on the Custom Shop replica of his ’60 Strat, which is set to be released as a more affordable production-line model in the near-future.

The tour has served up a few other surprises on the gear front, too, not least from co-guitarists Stone Gossard and Eddie Vedder, who have dug deep into their collections to pull out two rarely seen Gibsons for the run.

Gossard has been sighted with a Gibson Les Paul Signature Semi Hollow Gold Top – notable for its ES cutaway up top and Les Paul cutaway on the lower bout.

Launched in the early ’70s, the Signature Semi Hollow was the fourth and final guitar designed by Les Paul as part of a late-’60s reunion with Gibson, and features a pair of low-impedance pickups that excel at clean tones.

Judging from footage of recent shows, the rare semi-hollow has become one of Gossard’s main guitars on the trek, seeing use during standard-tuned tracks including Glorified G, Not For You and Seven O’Clock, as well as setlist staples Black and Alive.

Eddie Vedder, meanwhile, has further indulged his love of Pete Townshend and added the Who guitarist’s signature Gibson Les Paul Deluxe to his onstage arsenal.

A 2005 replica of Townshend’s heavily customized 1976 Cherry Sunburst #9 Les Paul, the guitar boasts a pair of mini-humbuckers and a DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker – just 75 were made and came with a #9 decal, not displayed on Vedder’s model.

The guitar is currently employed for standard-tuned tracks including Corduroy, Not For You and Lightning Bolt.

Both guitarists are still playing their regular squeezes alongside the new additions – so, for Gossard, that’s a Bigsby-equipped Les Paul Sunburst, while Vedder uses his target-sticker-adorned Telecaster for tracks that require a cleaner tone, such as Better Man. McCready, of course, sticks to his ’60 Stratocaster, but a Les Paul with uncovered humbuckers and a P-90-equipped Firebird have also seen some action.

Pearl Jam kicked off their 2022 tour in San Diego on May 3, with the run set to conclude on May 20 in Las Vegas, after which the band head over to Europe for a series of summer dates, before returning to the US and Canada in September.

The treks mark the touring debut of former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who officially joined the live liveup last year.

Last week, the band paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins with a cover of Foo Fighters’ Cold Day in the Sun, led by PJ drummer Matt Cameron on guitar and vocals.

It’s been an eventful few weeks for Eddie Vedder, who recently wrapped up a US tour in support of his new solo album, Earthling. With the aid of his all-star house band – comprised of electric guitar players Andrew Watt and Josh Klinghoffer, Glen Hansard, bass guitar player Chris Chaney and drummer Chad Smith – Vedder has treated attendees to cuts from his new record, as well as a handful of show-stopping covers.

Not only has the Earthlings band covered the Beatles, Prince and Jimi Hendrix during their time on the road, they also recently teamed up with Duff McKagan for an energetic performance of The Pretenders’ Precious.

Now, the crew have continued their fine interpretive form, bringing out The Police drummer Stewart Copeland on stage for a cover of the band’s 1979 hit, Message in a Bottle.

Taking place at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, on February 25, the cover commenced with Copeland picking up the sticks for a fill-loaded intro beat that preceded a particularly rusty opening exchange.

Vedder himself couldn’t help but laugh, though the band managed to pick up the slack and settled into a comfortable rhythm for the first chorus. 

Message In A Bottle was then followed by an Earthlings setlist stalwart, Neil Young’s Rockin’ In The Free World, which has served as the ensemble's closer on a number of occasions.

And, with the drum stool temporarily occupied by Copeland, the Earthlings' resident drummer – Red Hot Chili Peppers legend Chad Smith – once again took up position behind a Bigsby-equipped Gibson Les Paul Goldtop to keep himself busy with guitar duties.

It’s a position he’s become quite familiar with in recent times, after he spontaneously swapped instruments with bandmate Klinghoffer for an encore rendition of the same track last week – a rendition, may we add, that contained some spectacular onstage antics.

His guitar hero tricks went one step further this time out, though, as he made his way off the stage and into the pits with his six-string to get up-close-and-personal with some lucky front row spectators.

It capped off what had been a whirlwind evening for Vedder and the Earthlings. Earlier in the show, the group brought on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench to perform a couple of Petty's biggest hits, including Room at the Top and The Waiting.

With the aid of Tench, the group also covered Marvin Gaye’s Baby Don’t You Do It and George Harrison’s Isn’t It a Pity.

Eddie Vedder’s Earthling tour wrapped up last night (February 27) at The Magnolia in El Cajon, CA.

During his time with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chad Smith has cemented his legacy as one of rock's finest-ever drummers. However, if things had played out differently – and if a young Smith had picked up an electric guitar instead of the drumsticks – we’d wager he’d have gone on to become a fairly successful six-string showman.

Why’s that, you ask? Well, during a recent show on Eddie Vedder’s Earthling tour, Smith briefly picked up bandmate Josh Klinghoffer’s Gibson Les Paul towards the end of an encore rendition of Neil Young’s Rockin’ In The Free World, leaving Klinghoffer to assume duties behind the kit.

And while his technical chops may not quite stand up to scrutiny, his onstage antics and raucous crowd-rousing escapades were certainly a sight to behold. 

The impromptu instrument exchange took place during the band's show at Benaroya Hall on Tuesday evening (February 22), footage of which you can find below.

Credit where credit is due, Smith did manage his way round some basic chord shapes, though the real ingenuity of his six-string cameo came from the flawless stage moves and his spectacular hijinks.

Dragged to the front of the crowd by a Gibson SG-wielding Andrew Watt, the RHCP drummer swaggered and sauntered around the stage, utilizing an inch-perfect rock power pose before enacting some seamless back-to-back action with a Fender Jaguar-toting Glen Hansard.

There was also a nod to AC/DC’s crowd conductor extraordinaire Angus Young, with a smooth, hunched-over glide along the perimeter of the stage mere inches away from the front-row spectators.

As we say, Smith’s sensational showing was more style than substance – so much so that when he tried to act the part and stomp on Klinghoffer’s pedalboard, he got mixed up and started stamping on Glen Hansard’s instead.

“I was lucky to be there,” said one commenter. “It was hilarious. Chad and Josh switched instruments towards the end of the song. Josh really rocks on the drums… Chad not as much on the guitar.

“He even stepped on Hansard’s pedals towards the end, thinking it was Josh’s pedalboard.”

Smith, Vedder and Klinghoffer are in the midst of Vedder’s current tour supporting the Pearl Jam legend’s recent solo album, Earthling. The all-star trio are on the road with a squad of A-list collaborators, including guitarist/super-producer Andrew Watt, Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney and singer-songwriter Glen Hansard.

At the Earthling band’s opening shows, they covered some of rock’s greatest hits, including the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, Prince’s Purple Rain and Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower.

The band will next be in action tonight (February 25) at The YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, tickets for which are available via Pearl Jam's website.

Eddie Vedder recruited Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan during his show at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Washington on Monday (February 21) for a cover of Precious, from The Pretenders' 1979 self-titled debut album.

Joining Vedder's backing band, The Earthlings – which boasts an all-star lineup of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, former Chilis guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Jane's Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, The Frames guitarist Glen Hansard and Ozzy Osbourne producer Andrew Watt – McKagan handles the track's low-end armed with his signature Fender Precision bass guitar. Check out the performance below.

The Pearl Jam frontman is currently on tour in support of his latest solo studio album, Earthling. The trek kicked off at the Beacon Theatre in New York on February 3, and the last originally planned show at Benaroya Hall in Seattle took place last night (February 22).

Due to an outbreak of Covid in Vedder's touring party earlier this month, shows at San Diego's The Magnolia and Los Angeles' YouTube theatre on February 15 and 17 will now take place on February 27 and 25, respectively.

Alongside a host of tracks from Earthling – like The Haves and Long Way – and a selection of Pearl Jam cuts, Vedder's Earthlings Tour setlist has included covers of The Beatles' Here Comes the Sun, Prince's Purple Rain and Jimi Hendrix's All Along the Watchtower.

And during his show at Benaroya Hall last night, as Setlist.fm reports, Vedder reportedly paid tribute to Screaming Trees lead singer Mark Lanegan, who recently passed away at the age of 57.

Vedder released Earthling – his first non-movie soundtrack solo album – earlier this month. Alongside contributions from Ringo Starr, Elton John and Stevie Wonder, the LP also features guest vocals from his late father.

“I didn't really get to know my real father,” Vedder said in a January interview with Mojo (per Louder). “I met him maybe three or four times as a kid, but he was, you know, a friend of the family. It would have been nice to have been in a room with him at some point before he died when I was 13. It would have been nice to share that I knew that he was my pop, but it didn't happen.”

Vedder then revealed that around 10 years ago, a contact gave him some photos of his father and, later, a disc of vocal recordings made by him.

“I carried that disc around for two, three months in my suitcase, not ready to hear it,” he continued. “Finally, I got the guts, and after a couple bottles of wine played it one night in Argentina. And he was good. It was incredible – like he left a message for me.”

The recordings were subsequently reworked by Vedder and producer Andrew Watt for inclusion on Earthling.

Earlier this month, Eddie Vedder embarked on a tour – in support of his new solo album Earthlings – that saw him hit the road with an A-list band comprised of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Pearl Jam touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney and guitarist Glen Hansard.

Also part of the band is Andrew Watt – a self-proclaimed “biggest Pearl Jam fan of all time” whose resume includes production duties on Ozzy Osbourne’s Ordinary Man and a host of other high-profile albums.

In a recent conversation with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Vedder recalled the very first time he and Watt crossed paths, and revealed how their friendship initially stemmed from a hand-written note and an electric guitar, gifted to the Pearl Jam icon by Watt himself.

“The first I knew of him was [when] someone left me a letter and a guitar at the Shoreline Amphitheater in San Francisco, which is where we would do the Bridge School [benefit] shows,” Vedder began. “I think it was at the last Bridge School that somebody said, ‘This guy left a guitar and this note for you,’ and it was from somebody that had played that venue a [few] weeks before.”

He continued, “[He] asked that this guitar get delivered to me, and it seemed like it was a really nice letter. I gave him a call back, thanked him and when I gave him the call back, he had my number. That's how that worked, which was great because then every once in a while I'd get a nice little message.”

Unfortunately, Vedder didn’t reveal what guitar Watt had gifted to him, nor did he divulge what was written on the note – whatever it was, though, it was powerful enough to spark a friendship between the pair that culminated in their recent team-up.

As for how their professional relationship developed, Vedder added, “I was just feeling so grateful. He handled it great and every once in a while I'd get a little text from him, and it was cool. I knew he was working, but didn't really know what he was working on or anything like that. I'm just really proud of the guy.” 

Vedder later went on to credit Watt’s musicianship, saying “he’s as passionate about music as anybody I’ve ever met in my whole life” – high praise, given Vedder’s career – before lauding his technical production prowess.

“He’s good because he's quick,” he praised, “and as far as just the technical side of things [go], microphones and signal paths that you're running stuff through and the mix board… It's a real fast moving experience.”

Earthlings, which was produced by Watt, was released last Friday (February 11). During the first night of its supporting tour, Vedder and co covered a range of rock's greatest hits, such as the Beatles' Here Comes the Sun and Prince's Purple Rain.

The tour has since been postponed due to positive Covid cases in the Earthlings' camp, meaning the shows scheduled for February 15 and 17 at San Diego and Los Angeles will now take place later this month. 

Eddie Vedder has set off on tour in support of forthcoming solo album Earthling with an all-star band that includes Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction members – and the setlists so far have played host to a wealth of classic covers and the occasional Pearl Jam deep cut.

The Earthlings band includes Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith alongside his former bandmate (and new PJ touring member) Josh Klinghoffer – who handles guitar, vocals and keys – as well as super-producer Andrew Watt on lead guitar, Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney and singer-songwriter Glen Hansard on guitar and backing vocals.

It’s a supergroup of a lineup by all accounts, and accordingly, the band weren’t afraid to tackle some of rock’s greatest hits during their debut shows, which kicked off on February 1 at New York’s Capitol Theater.

Setlists so far have included Vedderized versions of Tom Petty’s Room at the Top and the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, as well as Jimi Hendrix’s take on Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower.

Perhaps the highlight of the sets so far, however, has been the band’s performance of Prince’s Purple Rain at the Beacon Theater on February 4, which not only finds Klinghoffer taking lead vocals, but also showcases Pearl Jam super-fan Andrew Watt’s blistering Strat chops.

A number of Pearl Jam standards – Wishlist, Porch, Better Man – have also cropped up on the setlist, as well as Dirty Frank, a Ten-era deep cut musically inspired by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who the group were touring with at the time. Vedder’s Earthlings even break into the Chili Peppers’ Freaky Styley during the track’s breakdown.

Much of the remainder of the sets was made up of new material taken from Vedder’s forthcoming solo effort, Earthling, which was produced by Watt and also features Klinghoffer and Smith. Other special guests set to appear on the record include Ringo Starr, Elton John and Stevie Wonder.

Earthling is out this Friday (February 11).

Eddie Vedder has revealed that his new album Earthling, due February 11, will feature guest spots from Elton John, Ringo Starr and Stevie Wonder. 

The Pearl Jam frontman and songwriter revealed the eyebrow-raising guest list in a new interview with MOJO. Wonder reportedly features on the record's 11th track, Picture, while the specifics of Starr and John’s involvement remain under-wraps for the time being.

In addition, the songwriter revealed he and producer Andrew Watt have included a montage of Vedder’s late father’s vocals in the record.

“I didn’t really get to know my real father,” Vedder says (via Louder). “I met him maybe three or four times as a kid, but he was, you know, a friend of the family. It would have been nice to have been in a room with him at some point before he died when I was 13. It would have been nice to share that I knew that he was my pop, but it didn’t happen.”

The songwriter reveals that around 10 years ago a contact passed him some photos of his father and, later, a disc of vocal recordings made by him. 

“I carried that disc around for two, three months in my suitcase, not ready to hear it. Finally, I got the guts, and after a couple bottles of wine played it one night in Argentina. And he was good. It was incredible – like he left a message for me.”

The recordings have since been reworked by Vedder and Watt for inclusion on Earthling, alongside the big name guest talent. 

“I thought of the record like a setlist – by the end, that’s when you start bringing out special guests,” continues Vedder. “We had Stevie and Elton, Ringo was an incredible addition… and then my pop gets to be on a record with those guys, which is not too shabby.”

Those names come in addition to a previous guest spot by Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and the already formidable talent of Vedder’s touring band, The Earthlings, which features Andrew Watt, alongside Josh Klinghoffer, Chris Chaney and Chad Smith.

As of today, Vedder has also released a new cut from the album, Brother The Cloud, which follows previous singles The Long Way and The Haves. The song has something of early Pearl Jam DNA – with a funky soul-style breakdown – and details the loss of a close friend. You can check out the new song above, and see the full track list for Earthling below.

Eddie Vedder – Earthling:

1. Invincible
2. Long Way
3. Power of Right’
4. Brother The Cloud
5. Fallout Today
6. The Dark
7. The Haves
8. Good and Evil
9. Rose of Jericho
10. Try
11. Picture
12. Mrs. Mills
13. On My Way

Stream or purchase Brother The Cloud now. 

Eddie Vedder has announced an eight-date US tour in February 2022 in support of his upcoming solo album, Earthling, and will be joined by a star-studded backing band.

Aptly named the Earthlings, Vedder's band for the trek includes Ozzy Osbourne producer Andrew Watt on guitar, The Frames' Glen Hansard on guitar and vocals, Jane's Addiction's Chris Chaney on bass guitar, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and ex-RHCP guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who will also handle backing vocal and keyboard duties.

This won't be the first time Klinghoffer has performed with Eddie Vedder, as earlier this year, after officially joining Pearl Jam as a touring musician, the guitarist joined the band for their set at the Sea.Hear.Now festival in New Jersey's Asbury Park on September 18.

Kicking off February 3 at the Beacon Theater in New York, the tour will make stops Newark, NJ, Chicago, IL, and Los Angeles, CA, before wrapping up with back-to-back shows on February 21 and 22 at the Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA.

Eddie Vedder's new album Earthling arrives February 11 via Seattle Surf/Republic Records. While the Pearl Jam leader released his first album Into the Wild – a collection of songs for the Sean Penn movie of the same name – in 2007, Earthling is his second solo album not linked to a film soundtrack, after 2011's Ukulele Songs.

Two singles have been released from the record, a beautiful acoustic ballad titled The Haves, and the more upbeat Long Way, which features Josh Klinghoffer and Chad Smith, as well as The Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench on the Hammond organ.

There will be no general sale of tickets for the Earthlings Tour, and public tickets will only be available through Ticketmaster Verified Fan Registration, which is open now through December 5.

Additionally, a separate ticket presale is already underway for members of Ten Club, Pearl Jam's fan club.

Last month, Eddie Vedder released a new project on Amazon Audible, entitled I Am Mine, which reflects on his life and achievements with Pearl Jam.

The audiobook sees Vedder recount the tragic events of June 30, 2000, when a crowd surge during Pearl Jam's set at the Roskilde Festival resulted in the deaths of nine fans.

“There was at least one person in the band, I remember, that thought maybe we should never play again,” he reflects.

“We all had to process something that we all went through as individuals, but also with the help of each other. Although I kind of disappeared into Europe – [I] had my own way of getting through it, which was taking Spanish guitar lessons from people who didn't speak English.

“That was just a way to focus and be around people that I couldn’t understand for the most part. And that way I was able to be around people, but since I didn’t really know what they were saying, it felt very peaceful and calm.”

Back in September, we heard Long Way, a heartland rock-influenced solo tune from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder that featured Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist Josh Klinghoffer (now a touring member of Pearl Jam) and drummer Chad Smith, alongside Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench.

The track was the first single from a promised Vedder solo album called Earthling, which we've now been given a second preview of in the form of a sweet ballad called The Haves.

Even if you're only casually familiar with the Pearl Jam catalog, you'll know that Vedder can nail a ballad like few of his contemporaries, and – over a backing of supple acoustic guitar strums and fingerpicking and beautiful piano work – nail this tender love song he does. Even when strings enter the picture toward the song's end, the proceedings never become syrupy.

One can easily see the song – which you can check out below – becoming a classic of the 'acoustic serenade' genre.

In addition to premiering The Haves, Vedder also announced Earthling's release date – February 11. Helmed by Ozzy Osbourne/Post Malone producer Andrew Watt, the album will be released via Seattle Surf/Republic Records.

Fans can also pick up a copy of The Haves (with Long Way as the A-side) on 7" vinyl via Pearl Jam's website, and preorder Earthling – the track list of which has still yet to be released – via Vedder's website.

Never one to focus on just one project, Vedder is also fresh off the release of an Audible Original, I Am Mine, which finds Vedder performing some of his favorite solo and Pearl Jam tracks, and reflecting on his life and achievements with the band, and how those experiences intersect with art, sensitivity and masculinity.

In one clip – premiered today by Guitar World – Vedder discussed the tragic crowd surge that occurred at Pearl Jam's headlining performance at the 2000 Roskilde Festival in Denmark, which killed nine people. 

“There was at least one person in the band, I remember, that thought maybe we should never play again,” Vedder said, before detailing how the band dealt with and ultimately moved forward from the tragedy. 

Given recent events at Astroworld, the tragedy that occurred at Denmark’s 2000 Roskilde Festival resonates with fresh pathos. For that year’s headliners, Pearl Jam, June 30 was a day that changed the band forever, after a crowd surge during their set resulted in the death of nine fans. The events took their toll on the group, who found themselves questioning their approach to playing live – and if they’d ever take to the stage again.

Now, in an exclusive new clip from new Audible Original, I Am Mine, Eddie Vedder details how the band grappled with their future, and how he himself coped with the loss.

“There was at least one person in the band, I remember, that thought maybe we should never play again,” Vedder reflects.

“We all had to process something that we all went through as individuals, but also with the help of each other. Although I kind of disappeared into Europe – [I] had my own way of getting through it, which was taking Spanish guitar lessons from people who didn’t speak English.

“That was just a way to focus and be around people that I couldn’t understand for the most part. And that way I was able to be around people, but since I didn’t really know what they were saying, it felt very peaceful and calm.”

Vedder goes on to detail the band’s first soundcheck since the tragedy, ahead of their performance at Virginia Beach on August 3, 2000.

“Our nerves were pretty heightened the night before,” the frontman recalls. “I think we had a brief soundcheck, and it felt a little strange, looking out at empty seats… it had a different meaning.

“And then it started storming. And I’m in this normal room, looking out, and hearing thunder crack, lightning, windows were shaking, hail started coming down – this is in the summer – and then you’re gonna play outdoors the next day. It started feeling very tenuous.

“There was so much emotion going on, I thought, ‘I can harness this, I gotta do something.’ I had a small tape recorder, and that’s when I recorded and figured out the song I Am Mine. It was all about getting ready for that first show, and hoping we’d all be safe the next night.”

New Audible Original I Am Mine finds Vedder reflecting on his life and achievements with one of the biggest American rock bands of all time, and how those experiences intersect with art, sensitivity, and masculinity.

Part of Audible’s Words + Music series, I Am Mine also features new renditions of classic Vedder and Pearl Jam tracks, alongside Vedder’s thoughts and recollections.

I Am Mine is available now via Audible.

In September, Vedder revealed The Long Way, the first single to be taken from forthcoming solo album, Earthling, produced by Andrew Watt, and featuring members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Heartbreakers.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin revealed his love for Pearl Jam and paid tribute to the iconic rock outfit during a live performance last Friday (October 22) by serving up a stripped-back rendition of Nothingman.

The concert – which formed part of the band’s pre-world tour promo show run following the release of their ninth studio album, Music Of The Spheres, earlier this month – took place at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, with Martin capitalizing on the gig’s location to perform the track.

Nothingman was released in 1994, and can be found on Pearl Jam’s third studio album, Vitalogy.

While nonchalantly strumming on his Martin acoustic guitar, the multi-instrumentalist casually introduced the rendition by saying, “Because we’re here in Seattle, we wanted to pay tribute to all of the bands we fell in love with when we were just young teenagers in the ‘90s.

“So this is a cover version, this [next] song,” he added, before humbly warning the crowd that they shouldn’t upload it to the internet “because it’s not going to be the best cover version, it’s really just a tribute."

His warning – which, after the cover commenced, turned out to be wholly unnecessary – continued: “This is not Adele singing Make You Feel My Love [by Bob Dylan]. That’s not what you’re about to see.

“This is a 44-year-old man remembering how much he fell in love with Pearl Jam back in 1991. And if you told that kid he would be here singing this song, that kid would’ve said, ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’ and I would’ve said, ‘Maybe not, but we’re doing it.’”

After welcoming the band’s “anchor of a drummer” and backing vocalist Will Champion to the B-Stage, who took up his position behind the keys, Martin launched into the track’s first verse, and those in attendance quickly realized that, despite the frontman’s warning, it had in fact been a very good idea.

Opting for a far more streamlined arrangement of the track, Martin and Champion dispensed of the drums and instead made their way through the song by way of some dreamy guitar strums, delicate keyboard progressions and goosebump-inducing vocals.

As the track came to a close, Martin made one last confession of his love for Pearl Jam, saying, “If Eddie [Vedder] ever hears this, I love you man, thank you for being so kind to our band” – a reference to the time he performed the song alongside Vedder in 2016.

Coldplay scored their ninth consecutive UK Number One album last week following the release of Music Of The Spheres – an album that will be toured extensively around the world next year.

The band’s mammoth seven-month world tour, which will see them be joined by H.E.R. as the support act, will kick off next March in San Jose, Costa Rica, and will conclude on September 10 at Brazil’s Rock In Rio Festival.

For a full list of tour dates, head over to Coldplay’s official website.

Eddie Vedder's Ohana Festival bore witness to the birth of a new supergroup this weekend when the Pearl Jam frontman stepped in to replace Kings of Leon at short notice on September 24.

The original Friday headliners were forced to cancel their set in order to allow brothers and bandmates Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill to spend time with their mother, Betty Ann Murphy, who then sadly passed away on the morning of the show.

Vedder stepped up to fill the slot with a little help from his friends: recruiting jam buddies Chad Smith and Andrew Watt, newly announced Pearl Jam touring guitarist (and former RHCP member) Josh Klinghoffer, and respected session bassist Pino Palladino for a last-minute headline performance at the California festival.

Vedder performed a set that included a wide range of covers, among them R.E.M.’s Drive, Prince’s Purple Rain and The Pretenders’ Precious. Vedder’s daughter Olivia also made an appearance on My Father’s Daughter (which the duo recorded for the forthcoming Flag Day soundtrack), further enhancing the family atmosphere.

Perhaps most the most poignant choice though was a cover of King’s of Leon’s Molly’s Chambers, which was introduced in tribute to the Followills’ mother. 

“Love you Caleb, love you Nathan, love You Matthew, love you Jared. Love you Betty-Ann”, said Vedder, before telling the audience, “We’re kind of making it up here tonight. I need you!”

In addition, the singer played a (more rehearsed) solo show on Saturday (September 25) and closed the event with a Pearl Jam set last night (September 26), making the impromptu show one of three headline sets that Vedder performed across the festival.

All of the songwriter's band, with the exception of Palladino have also worked on Vedder’s forthcoming solo album, Earthling, his first for 10 years.

Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has joined Seattle rock giants Pearl Jam as a touring musician.

Klinghoffer – who was dismissed from the Chili Peppers back in 2019 to make way for the return of former guitarist John Frusciante – partnered with the Seattle icons last year for a quarantine performance of Dance of the Clairvoyants, however as a Pearl Jam representative confirms, his association with the band is now ongoing.

The guitarist joined Pearl Jam for their set at the Sea.Hear.Now festival in New Jersey's Asbury Park on Saturday (September 18), helping them sail through their 20-track set, which included classics like Alive and Even Flow, as well as the live debut of Quick Escape, Seven O'Clock, Superblood Wolfmoon and Take the Long Way, taken from 2020 album Gigaton.

Klinghoffer also contributes guitar and piano to Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder's latest solo single, Long Way, alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.

The former RHCP man opened up on his dismissal from the band in January 2020, saying: “It's absolutely John's place to be in that band.”

“That's why I'm happy for him, I'm happy that he's back with them,” the guitarist said during an appearance on WTF with Marc Maron.

“If John coming back had happened five years ago, it would have been hard for me, temporally, to weigh against what they had. Now, after 10 years, two tours, and almost three albums of writing, I'm really proud of what I did with them. I feel like we did create something.”

Legendary producer Rick Rubin recently spoke of how he cried watching the Chili Peppers first rehearsal with John Frusciante after he rejoined.

“Frusciante's back in the band and it's unbelievable,” Rubin told Chris Jericho on his Talk is Jericho podcast earlier this month.

“I [was invited to] the first rehearsal after John rejoined the band and it made me cry. It was so thrilling to see that group of people back together because they made such great music for so long together and it really hit me in an emotional way.”

Eddie Vedder has unveiled a new single The Long Way – the first to be taken from his forthcoming solo album, Earthling.

Variety reports that the new song features Red Hot Chilli Peppers' guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and drummer Chad Smith, alongside Hammond organ by Benmont Tench, of The Heartbreakers-fame.

The latter guest spot is a particularly appropriate pairing on a track that channels a bit of the late Tom Petty’s heartland rock, with a nod to the laid-back Americana of the genre’s spiritual inheritors, The War On Drugs. 

The new solo record will be Vedder’s first since 2011’s Ukulele Songs and sees the frontman and songwriter working with Grammy-winning producer Andrew Watt –who is also currently twiddling the knobs on the new Ozzy Osbourne album.

Watt features here on guitar alongside Klinghoffer, while the RHCP duo have a relationship with Vedder and Pearl Jam that goes back many years. 

Indeed, back in July Watt, Klinghoffer, Smith and Vedder all took part in the impromptu all-star jam session that included Neil Young’s Rockin’ In The Free World – a song RHCP and Pearl Jam had previously covered live.

There’s no news on a release date for Earthling yet, but in the meantime you can listen to The Long Way on streaming services or buy a 7” single via the Pearl Jam store. 

Pearl Jam's friendship with fellow alt-rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers isn't exactly a state secret. In 2018 for instance, the Chili Peppers' then-guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer, and their drummer, Chad Smith, joined Pearl Jam onstage for a spirited rendition of Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World.

With that in mind, it may not be a huge surprise to see that Vedder, Smith and Klinghoffer were filmed on July 4 (at what appears to be a private party) tackling the same tune once again, but it's still pretty awesome.

What's more, the jam – phone-recorded clips of which you can check out above – also features cameos from Metallica's Robert Trujillo, Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell, Charlie Puth, Charlotte Lawrence and Andrew Watt.  

Later on in the video, Farrell takes a turn at the mic to lead the ad-hoc, all-star group in a rendition of the Jane's Addiction classic, Jane Says.

Aside from his friendship with Pearl Jam, Smith also has some musical history with Watt, having previously teamed up with the Post Malone producer – plus Slash and Chris Chaney – for a killer cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs during a New Year's Eve livestream.

Klinghoffer, meanwhile, has maintained a close relationship with Pearl Jam even after his 2019 departure from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, joining the band last May for a trippy quarantine performance of their song, Dance of the Clairvoyants.

Best of 2020: When it came to nailing the rock star vibe of Jackson Maine in A Star is Born, actor Bradley Cooper had a good role model: Eddie Vedder.

Cooper, who directed and starred in the movie, shadowed the Pearl Jam frontman ahead of shooting, and Vedder recently told Howard Stern the essential acoustic guitar advice he gave the actor at that time.

“I told him things like, you know, ‘Make sure your guitar covers your balls at all times,’” Vedder said on the Howard Stern Show.

He continued: “I think sometimes the guitar gets a little high. It looks more like a bib.”

Vedder went on to say he was skeptical when Cooper first told him he was tackling the film, telling him, “Look, there’s a few movies out there on surfing, a few movies on rock ‘n’ roll. None of ‘em get it right. You’re putting yourself on the line here.”

When it came time for Vedder to see the finished product, he said, “On the way over, I’m thinking of all the ways I can let him down nicely. So I was a little nervous.”

In the end, he was pleasantly surprised. “When I saw it, I just was fucking blown away. It just… took me there, and what he can do with his eyes and what they [Cooper and Lady Gaga] did together, and then Sam Elliott. I mean, it really took me there. I’m getting chills right now.”

Vedder also opened up during the interview about how he’s been coping with the death of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, who committed suicide in 2017.

“I’ve had to be somewhat in denial,” he said of his friend and Seattle music scene peer. “I don’t even feel like I had a choice. I was just terrified where I would go if I allowed myself to feel what I needed to feel or what I was instinctively wanting to feel or how dark I felt like I was gonna go.”

Current Fleetwood Mac guitarist Mike Campbell has been posting a series of "bathroom jams" on his official Instagram page during the band's current tour, and the latest clip shows Campbell joined by his Mac band mate Neil Finn and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder on an impromptu 12-bar blues workout. 

The short video was shot backstage at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, during Fleetwood Mac's stop at the venue on November 17. You can check it out below.

While you're at it, keep an eye out for some GW coverage of Mike Campbell in the near future...

Friday night, during their performance at Seattle's Safeco Field, Pearl Jam paid tribute to Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, covering "Missing," an early Cornell solo rarity, and jamming with Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil during their encore.

"Missing" is a track taken from Cornell's obscure 1992 solo EP, Poncier, which collects his contributions to the soundtrack of the Cameron Crowe film, Singles. You can see Pearl Jam's live cover of the song above. 

During their encore, the band also welcomed Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil onstage for a trio of covers: MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams,” the Stooges’ “Search and Destroy” and Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer.” The latter two songs also featured Mark Arm and Steve Turner, of fellow Seattle grunge luminaries Mudhoney. 

You can check out fan-filmed footage of the covers below.

During a show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday night, Pearl Jam invited Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer—drummer and guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers—to the stage for a spirited rendition of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World."

The performance of the 1989 Young classic, which you can watch via some fan-filmed footage above, is an absolute stormer and features Eddie Vedder tossing a number of tambourines into the crowd and Klinghoffer trading some scintillating solos with Pearl Jam guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready.

Just last week, Pearl Jam unveiled "Can't Deny Me," their first new song in five years. The song is from the band's as-yet-untitled upcoming album and was produced by the band with Brendan O'Brien.

You can download the track at pearljam.com.

Last week, Pearl Jam shared a new song called "Can't Deny Me" exclusively to members of their official fan club. Now, the band has released the song to everyone. According to their website, the song is from their as-yet-untitled upcoming album and was produced by Pearl Jam with Brendan O'Brien. You can hear it below.

Last year, the band released Let's Play Two, a live album and concert film documenting their two-night stand at Chicago's legendary Wrigley Field in August 2016. Their last studio album was 2013's Lightning Bolt.

The song is available for download at pearljam.com.

At last night's Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder performed a somber, moving cover of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' classic, 1999 ballad, "Room at the Top" as a tribute to the film-industry veterans who have passed away over the course of the past 12 months.

The "In Memoriam" segment featured stills and clips of legends of the stage and screen, including Chuck Berry, Harry Dean Stanton, Jonathan Demme, Roger Moore, Don Rickles and Jerry Lewis.

Vedder took the stage solo with a Rickenbacker electric, and was backed by the ceremony's official orchestra. You can check out the full performance above, and a shorter clip of the performance below.

In recent weeks, Pearl Jam has been teasing a concert film called Let's Play Two. The footage from these teasers shows brief clips of the band's performances at Wrigley Field last August. Now, the band has confirmed the details of Let's Play Two, a concert film that indeed documents those two performances at one of baseball's most legendary venues.

The band also announced that an accompanying live album will be made available alongside the film.

The soundtrack will be available September 29, while the film will premiere in select theaters on the same date, before recieving a one-off TV airing in the United States on FS1 on October 13, and arriving on home video on November 17.

You can watch the official trailer for the film, and check out the tracklist for the accompanying soundtrack (which you can preorder here) below.

Let’s Play Two Soundtrack Tracklist

• 1. Low Light
• 2. Better Man
• 3. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
• 4. Last Exit
• 5. Lightning Bolt
• 6. Black Red Yellow
• 7. Black
• 8. Corduroy
• 9. Given to Fly
• 10. Jeremy
• 11. Inside Job
• 12. Go
• 13. Crazy Mary
• 14. Release
• 15. Alive
• 16. All the Way
• 17. I’ve Got a Feeling

Last night, Roger Waters invited Chicago native and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder onstage to sing the chorus of the Pink Floyd classic, "Comfortably Numb."

It wasn't the first time the two legends have teamed up for a live performance of the song, as they previously played the song together at the 12-12-12 concert for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

You can watch the emotional performance below.

What if there were one place where you could tune in to see ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos by your favorite rockers, guitarists and manufacturers of your favorite gear?

Dream no more!

Because there are new Ice Bucket Challenge videos being posted every day, we've decided to make one file out of them, updating it daily — or at least whenever something applicable or interesting comes along.

Right off the bat, below, you'll find videos by Homer Simpson (who was, of course, a member of the Be Sharps), Robert Plant, Steel Panther, Orianthi, Jason Becker, Joe Satriani, Nita Strauss and the Alice Cooper Band, Tommy Emmanuel, John Mayer, Foo Fighters, Ronnie Wood, Corey Taylor, Eddie Vedder, Brian May, Dave Davies (full Kinks reunion in 2015, please!), Geddy Lee of Rush, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, dudes from Carvin Guitars, Paul Reed Smith, Seymour Duncan and, well, the list goes on. Hopefully!

For more about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (and to donate whatever you can afford), visit alsa.org.

Let the videos begin! If you know of Ice Bucket Challenge videos by other artists, let us know about them in the comments below or on Facebook! That's what this is story is for.

Music from last week's 12.12.12 Concert for Sandy Relief in New York City is now available on iTunes. A physical CD will be released in January via Columbia Records.

The album features select performances from the epic December 12 concert, which took place at Madison Square Garden. Some of the stand-out songs include Eric Clapton playing "Crossroads" and "Got to Get Better In a Little While," a Derek and the Dominos track from 1970.

Also included is The Rolling Stones' entire set — "You Got Me Rocking" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" — and three songs by The Who. Three Roger Waters tracks are present, including "Comfortably Numb," which he performed with Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Although Paul McCartney played the longest set of the night, he is represented by only one song, "Helter Skelter."

Check out the entire track listing below — and the two videos featuring Clapton (top) and Waters/Vedder (bottom).

The Robin Hood Relief Fund will receive 100 percent of the net proceeds of digital retailers, Columbia Records and the artists from the sale of the album. The Robin Hood Relief Fund is providing money, material and know-how to local organizations that are serving families and individuals in the regions hardest hit by the storm.

Click here to donate.

The digital track listing is as follows:

• 01. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band– "Land of Hope and Dreams"
• 02. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – "Wrecking Ball"
• 03. Roger Waters – "Another Brick In The Atlantic Wall"
• 04. Roger Waters – "Us and Them"
• 05. Roger Waters with Eddie Vedder – "Comfortably Numb"
• 06. Adam Sandler and Paul Shaffer – "Hallelujah (Sandy Relief Version)"
• 07. Bon Jovi – "It's My Life"
• 08. Bon Jovi – "Wanted Dead Or Alive"
• 09. Eric Clapton – "Got To Get Better In a Little While"
• 10. Eric Clapton – "Crossroads"
• 11. The Rolling Stones – "You Got Me Rocking"
• 12. The Rolling Stones – "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
• 13. Alicia Keys – "No One"
• 14. The Who – "Who Are You"
• 15. The Who – "Baba O'Reilly"
• 16. The Who – "Love, Reign O'er Me"
• 17. Billy Joel – "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)"
• 18. Billy Joel – "Movin' Out (Anthony’s Song)"
• 19. Billy Joel – "You May Be Right"
• 20. Chris Martin – "Viva La Vida"
• 21. Chris Martin with Michael Stipe – "Losing My Religion"
• 22. Chris Martin – "Us Against The World"
• 23. Paul McCartney – "Helter Skelter"
• 24. Alicia Keys – "Empire State Of Mind"

Eddie Vedder -- full-time Pearl Jam singer and part-time ukulele strummer -- has announced a 13-city solo tour in support of his 2011 album, Ukulele Songs.

The tour, which will last about a month, starts in Las Vegas and wraps up in Orlando, Florida.

Eddie Vedder solo tour dates:

• 4/11 Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl
• 4/13 Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theater
• 4/16 Albuquergue, NM - Kiva Auditorium
• 4/19 Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater
• 4/22 Houston, TX - Jones Hall For The Performing Arts
• 4/25 San Antonio, TX - Lila Cockrell Theatre
• 4/27 Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall
• 4/30 Dallas, TX - Music Hall At Fair Park
• 5/3 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz Festival
• 5/8 Jacksonville, FL - Moran Theater
• 5/10 Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
• 5/13 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Broward Center For The Performing Arts
• 5/16 Orlando, FL - Bob Carr Performing Arts Center

Here's some fan-filmed video of Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, performing a live cover of Pearl Jam's "Black" this past Saturday night at New York City's Bowery Ballroom.

The show was part of Portlandia: The Tour, as in Portlandia, the fairly decent comedy on IFC.

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder actually appears in the first episode of the show's second season -- so it all makes sense!

When we last left off, I was briefly summarizing the years of playing experience I had gotten under my belt and how, in turn, that helped prepare me for what was to come.

On Feb. 23 and 24, 1994, Roger Daltrey, lead singer for The Who, performed two sold-out shows at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in celebration of his 50th birthday. The show also featured Michael Kamen and The Julliard Orchestra, as well as guest appearances by Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, Eddie Vedder, Sinéad O'Connor, Lou Reed, David Sanborn, Alice Cooper, Linda Perry, The Chieftains and others. (The show is available on DVD.)

As I mentioned in my first blog, it was around this same time that I was hosting the Wednesday Night Pro Jam at New York City’s China Club.

The drummer I had been working with had previously toured with John Entwistle, the bassist of The Who. Having kept in touch with him over the years, he contacted John when he arrived in New York and invited him to come up to the China Club after his performance with Daltrey at Carnegie Hall. (I believe a limo was even rented to sort of sweeten the deal.)

I was a huge fan of The Who ever since discovering the rock opera Tommy at age 13 during the summer of 1969. (Apparently, a lot of great things happened that summer.) For decades, I listened to, learned and played everything by The Who that I could get my hands on.

So, when I was told that John Entwistle might show up at the Pro Jam to sit in, I was very excited and confident I could handle whatever he threw at me. Heck, I was even prepared to handle the lead vocals as well.

Needless to say, with the buzz going ‘round, the China Club was packed to the rafters with anxious Who fans waiting to get a glimpse of a larger-than-life, full-fledged rock star - and maybe even get to witness an impromptu, private and personal, up-close jam session.

Somewhere around midnight (the bewitching hour), The Ox walked in, wearing his jewel-encrusted spider necklace, followed by Linda Perry of 4 Non-Blondes, Pino Palladino, “Rabbit” Bundrick, Phil Palmer and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. The place became a madhouse, and it was necessary to get Entwistle right up onstage to avoid a calamity.

He walked up to me and shook my hand and said hello. He was handed a red vintage Fender Jazz bass guitar, after which he turned around to me and with a thick English accent said, “Okay, mate. Wot you wanna play?”

OK, how’s this for a setlist?

"My Generation / See Me Feel Me" (medley from Live At Leeds), "Shakin’ All Over," "I Can’t Explain," "The Kids Are Alright," "Happy Jack" (with a very drunk Eddie Vedder on lead vocal) and "Twist And Shout" (with Entwistle on lead vocal).

There was lots more. Apparently, they had so much fun, they came back again the next night as well. I remember also playing "Won’t Get Fooled Again," "Baba O’Riley," "My Wife" and "Long Live Rock."

When I called that one, John shook his head no and said, “I don’t know it.” I said, “Sure you do.” He then asked, “Wot’s the chords in the middle bit?” I explained to him what the changes were (imagine telling John Entwistle what notes to play to “Long Live Rock”), and we proceeded to play the song without a single mistake.

I also remember playing a few cover tunes. “Tush” by ZZ Top was one of them, and the other was “Whole Lotta Love,” which Linda Perry sang the hell out of. Earlier that first night, Steve Lukather (guitarist extraordinaire) from Toto and Jason Bonham were also in the house. We managed to get them up for a few tunes as well. Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House,” “Hold The Line” by Toto (It was like pulling teeth to get Luke to play it) and the Zep classic, “Misty Mountain Hop.”

All in all, it was a star-studded, rock 'n' roll-filled night I’ll most likely never forget. (The house soundman even captured the whole thing on three cassettes right off the board.)

A year and a half later, in September 1995, I set out to Laughlin, Nevada, for a three-month-long gig at the Flamingo Hilton Casino Showroom. I was offered the gig by my good friend Mitch Weissman, who was the original Paul McCartney in Broadway’s "Beatlemania" at NYC’s Winter Garden theater in the '70s.

We played a short 20-minute Beatles set and then backed up three or four featured guest artists like Joey Molland from Badfinger, Mitch Ryder of the Detroit Wheels, Spencer Davis, and even “Tiptoe Through The Tulips” by Tiny Tim. We played two shows a night, six nights a week, for three months. (More playing experience under the belt … about 144 shows).

Somewhere around the second month into the gig, I got a phone call from the China Club Pro Jam band drummer back in New York. He said, “Guess who wants to put a solo band together with you on guitar and go out on the road?”

… LONG SILENCE …

JOHN ENTWISTLE!!!

Tune in next time for "Godfrey Townsend, John Entwistle’s Other Guitar Player."

Please don’t forget to visit my official website for more info, gear pages and stories. And don’t forget to check out my instrumental guitar CD.

Godfrey Townsend is a New York-based musician who has worked with dozens of rock’s most influential names. In the past decade alone, he has performed nationwide with John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, Dave Mason and Alan Parsons. His current instrumental guitar CD, Easy Journey To Other Planets, is available at cdbaby.com, and a new album is in the works. Read more about him at godfreytownsendmusic.com.

After repeatedly coming across Top 10 lists of “Hot Female Guitar Players,” I thought it only fitting that we turn the tables. You might notice that there are 12 guitarists in this photo gallery, not 10 (I couldn’t help myself!). But I have to say, locating hot male guitarists is kind of a challenge. (No offense, guys! We love you anyway.)

So the following has nothing to do with actual guitar chops, style, technique or anything else remotely guitar-related.

It's just a highly opinionated list of hot-looking guys who -- oh yeah -- also play guitar.

Payback: It’s a bitch.

So, any that I’ve missed? If so, let me know in the comments!