If there's one thing you know about Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder, it's that he's a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan. Having been welcomed into the stadium with open arms over the years and making it a tradition to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch, Vedder feels right at home at Wrigley Field alongside his favorite athletes. Thursday night the 50-year-old power vocalist lived a dream come true when the players on the Chicago Cubs returned the favor by joining him onstage at the 4th annual Hot Stove Cool Music benefit show for the Epstein's Foundation To Be Named Later.
Chicago's metro housed the fundraiser and saw overwhelming support from rock enthusiast and baseball analyst Peter Gammons, who co-hosts the annual Foundation To Be Named Later benefit that gives scholarships to families and urban youths, notes Loudwire.
"That's my one rule of getting up during these charity things: Never open your mouth. Just play guitar," Cubs President Theo Epstein said before the show. "How bad can you mess up? But if you start singing, it might be real ugly." Epstein makes a point to shy away from singing but ended up breaking his own rule later in the night.
The night saw performances from Chicago's own celebrities including Cheap Trick drummer Daxx Nielsen, actors Mike O'Malley and Joel Murray, as well as Epstein and Gammons, who released their inhibitions by hopping onstage to perform alongside Vedder, seemingly living out a rock star dream of their own. Players on the Cubs found their way to the stage for cameos, including Jason Motte, Travis Wood, Jason Hammel, Jon Lester and coach Jose Cardenal.
The singer played through an assortment of Pearl Jam favorites, boasting "Love Boat Captain," "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" and a saxophone-heavy "Corduroy." Before launching into "Corduroy," Vedder took a second to wish fellow musician and companion Jack White a happy 40th birthday.
Amazing. Wrapping up a great night for a great cause with the #Cubs on stage at Hot Stove Cool Music. pic.twitter.com/YvnYNgTm95
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 10, 2015
Tossing a few covers into the mix, Vedder performed renditions of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," The Beatles' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," The Who's "The Kids Are Alright" and Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World." Closing out the night and making the endless appreciation for Vedder known, the Cubs team huddled together for an "Eddie" chant as he closed the show with "All the Way," a specific tribute song to the cubs.
"People have a 12-point plan for the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series," Vedder told the crowd, notes the Chicago Tribune. "They'd do anything, hire (jerks) and rapists ... As long as we win. But what's going to be so great, (the Cubs are) going to win with like the greatest bunch of human beings. And then the captain Joe at the head — it's really (expletive) great."
Eddie Vedder Setlist:
01. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
02. Far Behind
03. Love Boat Captain
04. Love/Building on Fire
05. Watch Outside
06. I Am A Patriot
07. Wishlist
08. The Kids Are Alright
09. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
10. The Weight
11. Comfortably Numb
12. Corduroy
13. Rockin in the Free World
14. All the Way
