Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder revived his side band, Earthlings, for the first time in two years last night (Sept. 26) to close the first night of his annual Ohana festival in Dana Point, Ca. The group, which also features guitarists Andrew Watt, Josh Klinghoffer and Glen Hansard, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and bassist Chris Chaney, unveiled several new covers for the occasion.
The first was an opening run through Devo’s “Gut Feeling,” which Vedder had never played live before, while later in the show, he tacked the instrumental intro of Led Zeppelin’s “The Song Remains the Same” onto Pearl Jam’s “Rearviewmirror.” Klinghoffer even wielded a Jimmy Page-style double-necked guitar for the occasion.
Before the latter, Vedder told a long story about being tormented by a high school teacher while growing up in the San Diego area, and how music helped him overcome the fear of not graduating or being fired from a job. “There was this piece of music, and I’ll never forgot where I was or how loud it was, and for some reason, this piece of music — not even the words, nothing — it was like a drug,” Vedder said. “It lifted me up. It was a liftoff. I realized, you know what? Fuck that guy. And someday, he will mean nothing to you. You’re not going to be stopped by someone who is maybe not right. I was telling this story to a friend, and all of the sudden, he sent me back that the guy is still alive in San Diego. He’s 83. He sent me his address. My first thought, just being honest, was, I’m going to go find that guy and kick his ass, because he’s 83 and I think I can take him. But, no, violence is never the right thing. Never. But, we will play this piece of music and I will let it be the reminder that music is power. Music has power. This person who had ill will for me? He didn’t win.”
Elsewhere during the set, Vedder played full-band versions of songs such as “Setting Forth” and “No Ceiling” from his 2007 Into the Wild soundtrack with Earthlings for the first time. Five cuts from his 2022 solo album Earthling also appeared, as did covers of the Who’s “I’m One,” the Mono Men’s “Watch Outside” and George Harrison’s “Isn’t It a Pity.”
In another communal moment, Vedder welcomed his daughters Olivia and Harper to sing on a medley of the English Beat’s “Save It for Later” and Pearl Jam’s “Better Man,” which is usually performed in the reverse order. Vocalist Sharlotte Gibson and Fitz and the Tantrums saxophonist James King also lent a hand, and returned for the finale with guests such as Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones for Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
Ohana continues today and tomorrow with performances by Hozier, Leon Bridges, Green Day, Cage the Elephant and Wet Leg.
