Music fans who grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s got a special surprise when they saw Eddie Vedder perform at this year’s Ohana Fest. Not only did they get to see the legendary Pearl Jam member, but joining him was singer-songwriter Liz Phair and Johnny Marr of the Smiths.
According to an article from Pitchfork, the performance took place at this year’s Ohana Fest in Dana Point, California. Taking place between September 28-30, Ohana Fest is three-day festival located in Doheny State Park. The goal of the festival is to help raise money for the Onofre Parks Foundation, a California non-profit dedicated to help preserve California’s coastal parks.
This is the third year that the festival has taken place, and is the third time that Vedder has headline the show.
Vedder was performing at Ohana Fest as Saturday nights headliner, where Phair had performed earlier in the day. Partway through his set, Vedder brought out Phair to join him on the Pearl Jam classic “Better Man”, off the band’s 1994 album, Vitalogy.
The performance was a mashup of two ‘90’s mainstays. Vedder is known as the lead singer for Pearl Jam, one of the bands at the forefront of the grunge movement. Phair is a Grammy-nominated artist who made her mark during the ‘90s with her album Exile in Guyville, which she released to critical acclaim in 1993.
Earlier in the day, Vedder was the guest as Marr invited him to join him in singing a Smiths song, “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.” The song was written by Marr and Smiths singer Morrissey in 1986 for their third album The Queen is Dead.
Phair, Vedder and Marr were just a couple of acts from the festival’s lineup. The headliners for night one included Eric Church and Norah Jones. Vedder joined the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as night two headliners, while Mumford and Sons, Beck and Young the Giant closed night three.
Besides being a great performance for fans, Vedder’s performance is a good sign for the musician. Last July Vedder had to cancel a performance at London’s O2 arena after the singer lost his voice. This was the first time the band had to postpone a show.
Thankfully, Vedder seems to have healed and is able to perform again.
Photo Credit: Alyssa Fried
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