Grunge icon and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has been hitting the road lately in support of his latest solo project, Earthling. And on Monday (Feb. 21) and Tuesday (Feb. 22) nights, Vedder hit the capitol of grunge music, Seattle, Washington, for two nights at the fame Benaroya Hall.
Videos by American Songwriter
On Tuesday, though, Vedder’s show took a somber turn as the artist remembered another grunge icon, Mark Lanegan, who passed away on Tuesday morning (February 22).
Vedder and Lanegan were pals and contemporaries and the Pearl Jam frontman took a few minutes to address the crowd, speaking about his memories of the Screaming Trees co-founder. See the full two-minute video clip below.
“Felt good last night and excited to do it again,” began Vedder, speaking about his two-night stint in Seattle this week. “And then I got here about 4 o’clock and all of a sudden, my body started shaking a little bit.
“I started to feel really terrible and I think it was because I was having an allergic reaction to sadness because we lost Mark Lanegan. There are a lot of really great musicians—some people know Seattle because of the musicians that have come out of the great Northwest.
“Some of those guys were one of a kind singers and Mark was certainly that. And with such a strong voice, it’s hard to come to terms at least at this point that, uh yeah. But he’s going to be deeply missed and at least we will always have his voice to listen to. And his words and his books to read—he wrote two incredible books in the last few years.
“So, just wanted to process it and put it out there and let his wife and loved one know that people in his old stomping grounds are thinking about him and love him.”
Vedder then turned to his Earthling drummer Chad Smith and the show, as it must, went on.
Another iconic grunge outfit, Alice in Chains, took to social media this week to remember their fallen friend in Lanegan.
Alice in Chains, which itself has experienced the effects of an untimely death of a music legend, singer Layne Staley (to a drug overdose), wrote on Instagram: “Loved and missed.” (🎥 Mopopseattle, Jkoephoto) and included a little Gif of Lanegan blowing a kiss goodbye.
