Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder was a recent guest on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show. During his visit, Vedder chatted with host Howard Stern about the exciting experience he had when got to perform a song with The Rolling Stones at a 1997 concert in Oakland, California.
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Pearl Jam opened for The Stones at four shows at Oakland Stadium on November 14, 15, 18, and 19. At the November 19 gig, Vedder was invited to join the British rock legends for one tune.
Eddie told Stern that The Stones asked him to sing a song on a list of tunes, one of which the audience was supposed to pick for the band to play.
As Vedder recalled, “They said, ‘We have this thing, and … [the] crowd chooses a song,’ or something. And it was gonna be ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together.’ … And I’m thinking, ‘I’m not running on that stage with [Mick Jagger and doing that song.] … I can’t keep up.’”
Eddie said he then noticed that The Rolling Stones’ smooth 1981 hit ballad “Waiting On A Friend” was on the list and he asked, “How about that one?” Vedder then “ran down to Mick’s [dressing] room” and rehearsed the tune.
You can check out audio of the somewhat ragged performance of “Waiting On A Friend” on YouTube. Vedder and Jagger traded off lead vocals throughout the tune.
Vedder has gone on to perform “Waiting On A Friend” several times with Pearl Jam and solo over the years.
Meanwhile, Eddie also performed with The Rolling Stones at a September 2005 concert in Pittsburgh, joining the band for a version of “Wild Horses.”
Vedder Shares a Humorous Backstage Interlude at The Stones Show
Vedder also talked to Stern about what it was like hanging out backstage with The Rolling Stones.
He shared that Jagger’s dressing room had “nice chiffon stuff on the walls and … just like you would picture it.”
Stern then commented, “You probably think that’s so insane, right? You’re probably like, ‘That’s so rock star to have chiffon curtains in your dressing room.’”
Eddie responded with a laugh, “It would have been insane if he didn’t. That’s what would have thrown me off.”
Vedder also recalled that the backstage elevators were decorated with chiffon and a leopard-skin design.
While riding in one of the elevators, he overheard a funny conversation between two older Stones road-crew members.
“[T]hey got the fanny packs, and … they’ve been around. You can tell,” Eddie said. “Or maybe they’re the truck drivers, but they’ve been [the band’s] truck drivers since 1978 or whatever. And the one guy … looks around at the leopard and the pink, and he says [to the other guy], ‘Do you think that the band thinks the whole world looks like this?’ And the other guy said, ‘I think they do.’”
Vedder Also Talked with Stern in 2024 About Performing with The Stones
Vedder also discussed his 1997 performance of “Waiting On A Friend” with The Stones when Pearl Jam was interviewed by Stern in 2024.
He told Howard that it was “an interesting experience.” Vedder then explained that when it came time for him to come out on stage and sing with Jagger, it turned out to be a confusing and awkward situation for him.
“[Y]ou’re standing on the side of the stage, and it’s a big stage,” Eddie recalled. “It’s a stadium in Oakland, and Mick’s in the middle and then Keith [Richards], and you’re standing right next to Keith’s amp, like behind it. And then you’re listening to the liquidity of what he plays. It’s like he’s never playing the same thing once.”
Vedder also noted that he and Jagger had practiced the song “real quick” before The Stones started their show. Later, when the band began playing “Waiting On A Friend,” Eddie recalled, “[T]here was no introduction or anything.” He then asked the crew members if he should go out on stage, but “everyone turned their head, like, ‘I have nothing to do with this.’”
Vedder continued, “Mick looked like a football field away … and he’s singing it already, and I’m coming in for the second verse. So I just kind of tucked my head down … and then just walked to the middle and started singing. It was okay.”
Eddie added that later that night, he attended an end-of-tour gathering in Richards’ room. Keith remarked that the performance had gotten a great response. Vedder said he then commented to Richards, “Hey, sorry, man. … Your man [Mick] left me hanging a bit there.” He recalled that Keith then said, “Don’t you worry about it, me boy. He’s been doing that to me for 35 years.”
(Photo by MediaNews Group/Tri-Valley Herald via Getty Images)
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