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.
