Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder was a guest on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday, March 3. The famed rock singer was on hand to promote his new documentary Matter Of Time.
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Also during his appearance, Vedder played some tunes on acoustic guitar and recalled a harrowing experience he had with a horse while visiting Bruce Springsteen.
The topic of Springsteen came up when host Howard Stern told Vedder that he’d watched him performing Bruce’s song “My City Of Ruins” during the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors tribute to the Boss. Stern then asked Eddie if he was close to the New Jersey rock icon or did he “barely know him.”
“I’ve known Bruce pretty good for quite some time,” Vedder replied. “All I could say is everything you imagined him to be, you’re not even halfway there, just as a person, as an artist, as a friend.”
Howard apparently had heard that Vedder had ridden a horse with Springsteen, quipping, “Imagine you two riding off into the sunset.”
Vedder noted that he’s “terrified of horses,” adding that his “ride with Bruce did not help anything at all.”
Vedder Shared the Story of His Scary Horseback Ride
Eddie proceeded to tell the radio host about the frightening incident, which apparently took place at Springsteen’s New Jersey ranch.
Doing a pretty spot-on Springsteen impression, Vedder shared, “[Bruce] says … ‘Here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna get on the horse. The horse is gonna walk. You’re gonna get off the horse. That’s what’s gonna happen.’ And I was trying to act not terrified. I was like, ‘I got this. I got [this].’ Like … don’t let the shark know you’re scared.”
What happened next? Well, the horse bolted.
“[F]or whatever reason, my horse just took off, and I’m kind of headed off the trail into, like, this forest, trees,” Eddie recalled. “I don’t know what is happening, and I’m just trying to, like, surf. … What I remember is, like, surfing the horse and looking where [I’m] I gonna jump.”
He also noted that the others who were there were trying to help, “yelling stuff like, ‘Pull right! Pull left!’”
Before Vedder could find a safe place to jump, he said the horse finally stopped.
“And then everyone was a little mystified,” he remembered. “[Springsteen’s wife] Patti [Scialfa] was like, ‘That’s very odd. That’s very odd. He might be barn sour.’ And then, damn it if the horse didn’t do it again.”
Vedder concluded, “So, in the end, Bruce said that was pretty good horsemanship that I … didn’t crack my head or [anything].”
After Vedder finished his story, Stern invited him to visit his home. Howard quipped, “I’ve always said to you, come to my house. Zero horses. You wouldn’t see a horse anywhere near my house.”
Vedder Has Frequently Performed Springsteen Songs Live
After the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors, Vedder performed “My City Of Ruins” live several other times, both at Pearl Jam concerts and at solo shows. Most recently, Pearl Jam played “My City Of Ruins” at a May 2025 concert in Pittsburgh.
Springsteen’s original version of “My City Of Ruins” appeared on his 2002 album The Rising.
Vedder and Pearl Jam also have performed a variety of other Bruce songs live over the years. In addition, Eddie also has joined Springsteen as a special guest during several shows by the Boss.
Eddie Vedder’s 2026 Tour Plans
Pearl Jam hasn’t announced any tour plans for 2026. Meanwhile, Vedder has scheduled four solo shows in Japan in April.
The concerts will take place on April 14 in Nagoya, April 16 in Osaka, April 17 in Kyoto, and April 20 in Tokyo.
(Photo by Debra L Rothenberg/FilmMagic)
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