Eddie Vedder and his Earthlings solo band played the first night (3 February) of a new US tour in New York last night with a 22-set of cuts from his forthcoming third solo album and classic covers.
The Pearl Jam man had plenty of guitar help; Glen Hansard, Josh Klinghoffer and Vedder's producer Andrew Watt are all part of the Earthlings lineup, along with Jane's Addiction bassist Chris Chaney and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
In addition to playing 10 of forthcoming album Earthling's 11 songs in the set at the Beacon Theater, Vedder also played a selection of covers…
First up is Abbey Road Beatles classic Here Comes The Sun, and that wasn't the only George Harrison song in the set either…
Vedder put down the guitar for a moving band version of Isn't It A Pity from Harrison's classic 1970 solo debut All Things Must Pass, with former Red Hot Chili Pepper Klinghoffer and Watt (who is also reportedly producing the next Pearl Jam album) playing a dual guitar solo.
Fans will already be familiar with Vedder's take on REM's Drive, that appeared on 2021 film Flag Day's soundtrack and was performed during Vedder's solo set at last year's Ohana festival.
It was also great to see Vedder performing Tom Petty's Room At The Top with his Rickenbacker 360/12 again – a song he performed during the In Memoriam segment of the 2018 Oscars ceremony. The band bringing a while new heft to the singer's emotional delivery on this version and Klingoffer contributing backing vocals and a searing solo on a Gibson Firebird.
Vedder also showed his love of The Pretenders with a cover of Precious, thanking the crowd for making it out to the gig in the wake of the pandemic; "I'm sure it wasn't easy to get in this room tonight," he noted.
Vedder and The Earthlings paid tribute to another female icon with Patti Smith's People Have The Power too; played back to back with a singalong performance of Pearl Jam fan favourite Better Man.
Pearl Jam uberfan Andrew Watt also got to play the band's Wishlist, from the band's 1998 record Yield. An album that turned 24 this week.
Eddie Vedder & The Earthlings full setlist from Beacon Theater, New York 3/2/2022
- 1. Drive
2. Room at the Top
3. Here Comes the Sun
4. The Haves
5. I’ll Be Waiting
6. Invincible
7. The Dark
8. Power of Right
9. Fallout Today
10. Long Way
11. Tender Mercies
12. Wishlist
13. Brother the Cloud
14. Mrs. Mills
15. Try
16. Rose of Jericho
17. Porch
Encore:
18. Precious
19. Better Man
20. People Have the Power
21. Isn't It a Pity
22. All Along the Watchtower
Earthling is released on 11 February
